THE UNITARY EXECUTIVE AND THE PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENT

by Kelley, Christopher S

The presidential bill signing statement has generated very little attention by political scientists interested in presidential power and the relationship between the Congress and the president. Despite its lack of interest by presidential scholars, it is a commonly used device by presidents dating all the way back to the Monroe administration. This dissertation offers the first systematic examination of what the signing statement is, how it is used, and why it has become important to the executive branch in the last thirty years.