From Chinese Exclusion to Guantanamo Bay: Plenary Power and the Prerogative State

This study details historic applications of the plenary power doctrine, in which US courts allow the executive branch full power over groups of citizens without concomitant constitutional protection, showing that expansions of power aren’t unique to the Bush administration but part of a troubling tradition that, according to the author, undermines American principles and may violate international human rights law.