Why Interpreting the Constitution is so Complicated

An Explainer of Just What Makes the Supreme Law of the Land so Hard to Interpret and Apply

Hi. Last week, I wrote an entry covering why the modern day interpretation and implementation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution is just so complicated. That was the first in what I hope to be a series discussing the difficulties interpreting and applying the Constitution in today's world. With the opening article done, I would like to take a few moments to introduce myself, what I hope to accomplish with this series, and why I believe the Constitution is so hard to interpret to begin with.

Introduction

First, I would like to say a little bit about myself. I am a law student at the University of Virginia. It is a wonderful school, and I hope to some day be a trial attorney focused in complex litigation. The law, as well as legal interpretation, excites me.

I am also very active in politics. I am a life-long Democrat, was an early supporter of Barack Obama for President, and believe functionalism is the correct way to interpret the Constitution. Much of my politics is based on a combination of both my own sense of morality, and the sense of morality instilled in me by my religion, Judaism. I believe ignoring poverty, doing nothing to ensure all people have health care, and destruction of the environment to be immoral acts. My politics often flows from those beliefs.

I introduce myself not to make a point, but merely to put my series in perspective. It is my hope that my personal viewpoints will not affect how I write this series, but you as a reader have a right to know some basics. I plan not to discuss what I personally believe, although you can probably guess from my politics. However, I do believe you have a right to know my politics, just in case you do think it seeps through to my writing.

The Purpose of this Series