David K. Nichols Honored with Festschrift On Constitutionalism and Liberty
Constitutionalism and Liberty: Essays in Honor of David K. Nichols explores the relationship between liberty and constitutionalism in American politics and political theory, and is organized around the question of how human liberty is preserved and advanced while empowering government to have the necessary authority to effectively govern society.
The essays themselves are divided into three areas reflecting the breadth and diversity of Nichols’s scholarship. The first assesses how we should understand separation of powers and checks and balances in the American constitutional system. The second area treats different aspects of American legal practice and jurisprudence, including the powers and role of the American judiciary as well as questions of administrative power, civil rights, parental rights, and symbolic speech. The final section examines a range of issues in political philosophy and theory, including two chapters on the intersection of political theory with literature and art.
The array of subjects covered by these chapters is a testament to the broad influence of Nichols’ teaching and scholarship, and to the widening interest in aspects of American politics, constitutional law, and political theory that cross traditional barriers in political science. The essay “American Political Development and Ideational Institutionalism,” for example, discuss the considerable and essential overlap between American Political Development (APD) and American Political Thought (APT), “ideas play a critical role in shaping institutional development.” The essay is co-authored by co-authored by Benjamin Kleinerman, R. W. Morrison Professor of Political Science at Baylor, and Matthew Reising, 2024-25 John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University, and Assistant Professor of the History of Political Thought in the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin, beginning in 2025.
Contributors also include J. David Alvis, Christopher Bissex, Jacob Boros, Matthew Brogdon, Kevin J. Burns, Timothy W. Burns, Adam M. Carrington, Jerome C. Foss, Joseph K. Griffith, Jeffrey J. Poelvoorde, Mark Scully, Benjamin Slomski, Lee Ward, and Michael Zuckert, as well as the editors of the collection Antony D. Bartl, and Jordan T. Cash. Dr. Bartl is Professor of Political Science at Angelo State University, and Dr. Cash is Assistant Professor at James Madison College.
The book is available from Lexington Press.
W. David Clinton, Professor Emeritus of Political Scienceat Baylor University writes
No one acquainted with the scholarship and pedagogy of David Nichols
would expect anything other than excellence from the students and
colleagues who have benefited from his friendship, guidance, and
instruction. Even with those high expectations, however, the essays in
this volume are enormously impressive in their insight, their fluency, and
their unrivaled command of political philosophy, American political
thought, and American constitutional studies. They form a worthy tribute
to an inspiring figure and steadfast friend.
Joseph M. Bessette, Alice Tweed Tuohy Professor of Government and Ethics, Emeritus, at Claremont McKenna College, writes
In the breadth of their coverage and the richness of their insights, these excellent essays are a fitting tribute to the teaching and scholarly career of David Nichols. Like the lifelong contribution of the authors’ teacher, colleague, and friend, they enrich our understanding of the foundations and development of, what Lincoln called, ‘the last best hope of earth.’
A festschrift is a collection of essays honoring a distinguished scholar and/or teacher, literally “a celebration writing.” It is often presented on the occasion of his retirement.
This collection is truly a testament to the distinctive constitutional approach to the study of American politics for which Baylor is known. Ten of the contributors received their PhDs from Baylor (Tony Bartl, Kevin Burns, Christopher Bissex, Jacob Boros, Adam Carrington, Jerome Foss, Joseph Griffith, Jordan Cash, Mark Scully, and Matthew Reisling). Three others are faculty members in the department of political science (Benjamin Kleinerman, Timothy Burns, and Lee Ward).
The festschrift grew out of a conference in Dr. Nichols’s honor, “The Intellectual Legacy of David Nichols,” at Alexandria, Virginia in October 2022.