Welcome to Litsy!

An essential guide to the presidential powers and limits of the Constitution, for anyone voting—or running—for our highest office. Can the president launch a nuclear attack without congressional approval? Is it ever a crime to criticize the president? Can states legally resist a president’s executive order? Corey Brettschneider takes us on a deep dive into the U.S. Constitution to answer questions that, in our tumultuous era, Americans are asking more than ever before. From the document itself and from history’s pivotal court cases, we learn why certain powers were granted to the presidency, how the Bill of Rights limits those powers, and what “we the people” can do to influence the nation’s highest public office—including, if need be, removing the person in it. Brettschneider breathes new life into the Constitution’s articles and amendments, stressing its key principles and illustrating their relevance to all our lives today. The Oath and the Office empowers readers, voters, and future presidents to read and understand our nation’s founding document.