Vol. 42, No. 07
07/01/2026
Original Intent
The Independent Guide to the Constitution: Original Intentions, Modern Inventions, by William J. Watkins Jr., Oakland, California: Independent Institute, 2026, 384 pages, hardcover.
William Watkins has hit another home run. Like his earlier books — Crossroads for Liberty: Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America’s First Constitution (2016), Judicial Monarchs: Court Power and the Case for Restoring Popular Sovereignty in the United States (2012), and Reclaiming the American Revolution: The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions and Their Legacy (2004) — The Independent Guide to the Constitution: Original Intentions, Modern Inventions is essential reading, not just for those who espouse the “strict construction originalism” of the author, but for anyone who believes that the Constitution and the opinions of those who bequeathed it to us still matter.
Watkins, who holds degrees in both history and law, is a research fellow at the Independent Institute, a libertarian think tank. He is a former law clerk to Judge William B. Traxler, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, and is president of the Greenville, South Carolina, Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society. He has served as a prosecutor and defense lawyer, and has practiced in various state and federal courts.
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