"In this sweeping work, Anthony Michael Kreis convincingly demonstrates that shifts in governing coalitions drive changes in American constitutional doctrine. The book artfully covers not only Supreme Court case law, but also the congressional record, presidential statements, and the popular press, offering an important counterpoint to judge-centered narratives of American constitutional development."--Robinson Woodward-Burns, author of Hidden Laws: How State Constitutions Stabilize American Politics "Deconstructing the myth of an apolitical judiciary, Kreis draws on extensive research and his impressive command of the relevant legal history to artfully argue that much of the evolution of constitutional law is driven by the changing politics of new presidential regimes. Rot and Revival is a major study that will be of great significance to the field."--William Adler, author of Engineering Expansion: The U.S. Military and Economic Development, 1787-1860