We the People

Coronavirus has presented difficulties in holding presidential primaries this spring and will continue to pose challenges for the general election. Some states have responded by implementing vote by mail (although those decisions have brought logistical challenges like those that Pennsylvania currently faces) while some that have not are facing lawsuits. The U.S. Supreme Court also recently issued a ruling about voting in Wisconsin in April, RNC. v. DNC, which involved questions about counting absentee ballots amidst the risks that in-person voting might present. This episode explores those cases as well as the latest news surrounding how Americans will vote in the midst of the pandemic, and, broadly, what the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent require. Election law experts Ned Foley and Michael Morley join host Jeffrey Rosen to discuss.  Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments by teleconference, and the National Constitution Center recapped those arguments live on C-SPAN with advocates on either side of each case. On this week’s episode we’re sharing the recap for the cases Colorado Dept. of State v. Baca and Chiafalo v. Washington, about "faithless electors" and the electoral college. Those cases ask whether states can penalize or remove a presidential elector because they refused to vote for the candidate who won their state's popular vote. Host Jeffrey Rosen was joined by David Kopel, the research director of the Independence Institute who wrote a brief in support of the “faithless electors,” and Paul Smith, vice president of litigation and strategy at the Campaign Legal Center who wrote a brief in support of the states.Hear more argument recaps on We the People and our companion podcast, Live at the National Constitution Center. This week’s episode of Live at the National Constitution Center features the argument recap of the cases asking whether President Trump must release financial records to House committees and prosecutors, and you can listen to that here.Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

This week, the Supreme Court continued to hear oral arguments by teleconference, and the National Constitution Center recapped those arguments live on C-SPAN with advocates on either side of each case. Today we’re sharing the recap for Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru—which raises the question of whether two former teachers who taught at Catholic schools fall under the "ministerial exception,” and thus are unable to sue their employers for alleged employment discrimination. Host Jeffrey Rosen was joined by Sunu P. Chandy, Legal Director of the National Women’s Law Center, and UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh to explain the case and recap the argument.  The National Constitution Center recapped all of the Supreme Court's remote arguments live on C-SPAN. You can watch the rest of those recaps on our YouTube channel at YouTube.com/constitutioncenter or hear more in the coming weeks on this podcast and our companion podcast Live at the National Constitution Center. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments by teleconference, allowing the public to listen in, in real time, for the first time in history. On Monday, the Court heard United States Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com—a case about whether Booking.com can trademark its name. Immediately following the argument, host Jeffrey Rosen was joined by three experts who filed briefs on different sides of the case—Corynne McSherry of Electronic Frontier Foundation, professor Rebecca Tushnet of Harvard Law School, and Margaret Duncan of Loyola University Chicago School of Law—to recap the argument, explain the case, and reflect on a historic moment for the Court. The National Constitution Center collaborated with C-SPAN to broadcast this conversation live.The National Constitution Center recapped all of the arguments heard this past week live on C-SPAN. You can watch the rest of those recaps on our YouTube channel at YouTube.com/constitutioncenter. The Supreme Court will hear additional arguments next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, starting at 10 a.m. EDT, and then Jeff will be back on C-SPAN to recap them with some of the leading experts involved in the cases. So please tune in!Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

The coronavirus pandemic has seriously impacted the criminal justice system—as prisons experience severe outbreaks, states release nonviolent offenders, trials experience delays, and some jurisdictions halt arrests for misdemeanors to keep jail populations down. On this episode, criminal justice experts Emily Bazelon and Paul Cassell weigh in on those and other changes affecting criminal justice systems around the country, and potential long-term impacts. They also explain defendants’ rights under the Constitution as well as victims’ rights, and detail some recent lawsuits filed, both on behalf of prisoners arguing that being detained in the midst of a pandemic violates the Eighth Amendment’s protection from cruel and unusual punishment claims, and by victims requesting notification of perpetrators’ release. Bazelon is the author of Charged: The Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration and Cassell is a former federal judge who now specializes in victims’ rights and is a law professor at the University of Utah. They join host Jeffrey Rosen.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

As the United States seems to begin to flatten its curve of new coronavirus cases, President Trump has claimed he has the authority to reopen the economy and the nation. Evaluating that claim in relation to both presidential power under Article II and state power under the 10th Amendment—professors John Yoo and Alison LaCroix join host Jeffrey Rosen. They give their takes on the president’s claims and conduct in the midst of coronavirus and evaluate what he can and can’t do in light of the system of separation of powers and federalism; comment on whether the president can or should withdraw from the World Health Organization, suspend immigration, and support citizen protests against governors; and place these contemporary debates in historical context.A term that will be helpful to know for this week—federalism. Federalism is the constitutional division of power between U.S. state governments and the federal government. Professors Yoo and LaCroix detail the history of federalism and how it’s evolved from the founding to today.

On Monday, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear its May oral arguments over the phone, allowing the public to listen in live for the first time. On this episode, host Jeffrey Rosen first interviews Marcia Coyle, chief Washington correspondent for The National Law Journal, to discuss that change and other adjustments the Court has made due to the coronavirus pandemic. Coyle is also the new Supreme Court correspondent for the National Constitution Center’s blog Constitution Daily. Next, Jeff is joined by appellate lawyer Jaime Santos and Case Western Law professor Jonathan Adler to dive into the substance of the cases recently decided, and those being argued in May.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Responses to the coronavirus pandemic may be posing a danger to democracies around the world—as fault lines in constitutional systems are exposed and some authoritarian leaders attempt to grab broad powers. Two experts on constitutional and international law — Professor Kim Lane Scheppele of Princeton University and Professor Deborah Pearlstein of Cardozo Law School — join host Jeffrey Rosen to explore the governmental challenges raised by COVID-19 in the United States and around the world. Scheppele – one of the foremost experts on Hungary – sheds light on the country’s dangerous recent slide into authoritarianism, made worse by a “draconian” emergency law passed under the guise of combatting coronavirus. And Pearlstein shares insights from her recent work on how the outbreak can impede elections and how Congress should begin preparing for election 2020. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Some of Americans’ civil liberties—like the freedom to assemble in public, the right to travel, the ability to purchase a gun at a gun store or visit a reproductive health clinic, the freedom to exercise religion by going to church, and more— are typically exercised in person. As states enforce the stay-at-home orders necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus, how will those rights be impacted? And what will happen to them after the crisis is over? This episode explores those questions as First Amendment experts Lata Nott and David French join host Jeffrey Rosen.Questions or comments? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Congress and the courts depend on meeting in-person, so how can they adjust to the coronavirus outbreak and the public health measures necessary to stop its spread – like social distancing – while continuing to meet their constitutional functions? Host Jeffrey Rosen explores that question with Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, who’s worked since the aftermath of 9/11 on emergency-preparedness recommendations for all three branches of government, and lawyer and podcast host Ken White, who sheds light on how the pandemic is affecting his clients and the courts more broadly. They share insight into what’s keeping Congress from meeting virtually, how courts will deal with suspended arguments, what might happen to incarcerated people in the midst of the pandemic, continuing concerns about presidential succession, and more—in a wide-ranging conversation on how the U.S. government functions during a national emergency, and what reforms may be necessary to ensure it can continue to function in future crises.  A term that will be helpful to know for this episode — Quorum: a majority, in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. The Constitution requires a majority of senators, 51, for a quorum, and, when there are no vacancies in its membership, a quorum in the House is 218. Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution stipulates that “a majority of each [House] shall constitute a quorum to do business.”  Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.