Separation of Powers in Practice. By Tom Campbell. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2004. 248p. $55.00 cloth, $21.95 paper.

In his book, Tom Campbell, a former five-term member of Congress, argues that we ought to focus on the “comparative advantage” of each branch because by doing so, we improve the operation of American government. “The thesis of this text is that each branch has inherent advantages: for each branch not to use its advantage and, worse, to allow another branch to encroach upon it dulls the mechanisms of governmental action” (p. 58). After highlighting his case studies in his introduction, in Part One Campbell discusses the advantages of each branch, the rules of the legislative process, the process of statutory construction by courts, and the judicial practice of following precedent. In Part Two he presents 10 case studies, which exemplify his thesis.