Kuo, Ming-Sung. (2009) Cutting the Gordian knot of legitimacy theory? : an anatomy of Frank Michelman's presentist critique of constitutional authorship. International Journal of Constitutional Law, Vol.7 (No.4). pp. 683-714. ISSN 1474-2659

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Abstract

The question of legitimacy occupies center stage in debates on various constitutional developments. For as long as constitutional scholars cannot settle on a theory of legitimacy, the specter of a legitimacy deficit will continue to haunt the practitioners of constitutional law. Constitutional scholar Frank Michelman engages different schools of constitutional theory, seeking the definitive answer to the legitimacy question. He classifies theories of legitimacy into three categories, premised on notions of contract, acceptance, or authorship. Arguing that contract-based and acceptanceoriented legitimacy theories assume the notion of authorship, he distinguishes constitutional authorship in terms of its presumed transtemporal character and abandons it because of this character. To cut this Gordian knot, Michelman proposes a presentist view of legitimacy. Through an analysis of his theoretical engagement, this article argues that his effort to abandon authorship-based theories fails. A commonly chosen, authoritative dispute- settling institution, in line with Michelman’s presentist alternative, cannot stand without assuming a transtemporal concept of constitutional authorship. Thus the Gordian knot remains.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	J Political Science > JC Political theory K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Legitimacy of governments, Constitutional law
Journal or Publication Title:	International Journal of Constitutional Law
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	1474-2659
Date:	2009
Volume:	Vol.7
Number:	No.4
Page Range:	pp. 683-714
Identification Number:	10.1093/icon/mop024
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Related URLs:	Other Repository
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/34868

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