
Live at the National Constitution Center
Live constitutional conversations and debates featuring leading historians, journalists, scholars, and public officials hosted at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and across America. To watch National Constitution Center Town Halls live, check out our schedule of upcoming programs at constitutioncenter.org/townhall. Register through Zoom to ask your constitutional questions in the Q&A or watch live on YouTube at YouTube.com/ConstitutionCenter.
Latest episodes

Jul 16, 2025 • 53min
2025 Supreme Court Review, Panel 3: Covering the Court
The National Constitution Center and the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law present a U.S. Supreme Court review symposium featuring leading constitutional law scholars and commentators analyzing the Court’s most significant rulings of the term.
Panel 3: Covering the CourtJess Bravin, Supreme Court Correspondent, The Wall Street JournalJan Crawford, chief legal correspondent, CBS NewsFred Smith Jr., professor of law, Stanford Law SchoolModerator: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO, National Constitution Center
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Jul 16, 2025 • 48min
2025 Supreme Court Review, Panel 2: The Roberts Court and Executive Power
The National Constitution Center and the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law present a U.S. Supreme Court review symposium featuring leading constitutional law scholars and commentators analyzing the Court’s most significant rulings of the term.
Panel 2: The Roberts Court and Executive PowerStephen Vladeck, Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Federal Courts, Georgetown University Law CenterDaniel Walters, associate professor of law, Texas A&M University School of LawKeith Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law SchoolModerator: Neil Siegel, David W. Ichel Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science, Duke Law School
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
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Jul 16, 2025 • 48min
2025 Supreme Court Review, Panel 1: Supreme Court Term Review
The National Constitution Center and the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law present a U.S. Supreme Court review symposium featuring leading constitutional law scholars and commentators analyzing the Court’s most significant rulings of the term.
Panel 1: Supreme Court Term Review
Jonathan Adler, Tazewell Taylor Professor of Law, William & Mary Law SchoolDaniel Epps, professor of law, Washington University School of LawSarah Isgur, editor, SCOTUSblog; legal analyst, ABC NewsFrederick Lawrence, distinguished lecturer, Georgetown University Law CenterModerator: Katherine Mims Crocker, professor of law, Texas A&M University School of Law
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
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Jul 1, 2025 • 1h 3min
The Story of the U.S. Constitution: Past and Present
Akhil Reed Amar and David Blight of Yale University and Annette Gordon-Reed, president of the Organization of American Historians and Harvard professor, join National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a sweeping conversation about the Constitution and the debates that have shaped America—from the founding era to today. They explore transformative moments in American history and landmark Supreme Court decisions.
This program is presented in partnership with the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute and the Organization of American Historians.
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
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Jun 24, 2025 • 48min
W.E.B. Du Bois and His Impact on America With David Levering Lewis
In celebration of Juneteenth, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David Levering Lewis, author of the definitive two-volume biography of W.E.B. Du Bois, explores Du Bois’ life, legacy, and enduring impact on American history, while also discussing his own new memoir, The Stained Glass Window. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Resources
David Levering Lewis, The Stained Glass Window: A Family History as the American Story, 1790–1958, (2025)
David Levering Lewis, W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography 1868–1963, (2009)
American Historical Association, “W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963): Historian, Sociologist, Editor, Activist,” Perspectives on History, (2023)
W.E.B. Du Bois, The Talented Tenth, (1903)
W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk: Centennial Edition, (2003)
W.E.B. Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America: An Essay Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860–1880, (2014)
W.E.B. Du Bois and Guy B. Johnson, Encyclopedia of the Negro: Preparatory Volume with Reference Lists and Reports, (1940)
David Levering Lewis, W.E.B. Du Bois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919–1963, Read by Courtney B. Vance, (2001)
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
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Jun 17, 2025 • 58min
Executive Authority: Presidential Power From America’s Founding to Today
Legal scholars Gillian Metzger of Columbia Law School and Saikrishna Prakash of the University of Virginia School of Law examine the founders’ vision for the presidency, how presidential power has changed over time, and the key constitutional debates that have shaped the modern presidency. The discussion explores how the Trump presidency fits within this historical context and what it means for the future of presidential power. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Resources
Federalist No. 70
Myers v. United States (1926)
Trump v. United States (2024)
Saikrishna Prakash, The Living Presidency: An Originalist Argument Against Its Ever-Expanding Powers, (2020)
Saikrishna Prakash, Imperial from the Beginning: The Constitution of the Original Executive, (2015)
Gillian Metzger, “Disqualification, Immunity, and the Presidency,” Harvard Law Review, Vol. 138 (April 1, 2025)
Michel Martin, “Political scientists alarmed by Trump's disregard for checks on the executive branch,” NPR (Feb. 3, 2025)
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
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Jun 3, 2025 • 56min
Jewish Americans in the Civil War Era
Richard Kreitner, author of 'Fear No Pharaoh', explores the intersection of Jewish history and American slavery, while Shari Rabin, author of 'The Jewish South', highlights the experiences of Jews in the South during the Civil War. They discuss Jewish participation in the Civil War, showcasing key figures like Judah Benjamin and trailblazers like Ernestine Rose. The conversation also delves into the complex legacy of Jews and slavery, the evolving identity of Southern Jews, and the rise of anti-Semitism amid wartime tensions.

May 20, 2025 • 1h 1min
Democracy in France and America With Justice Stephen Breyer and Minister Christiane Taubira
The Honorable Stephen G. Breyer, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (ret.) and National Constitution Center honorary co-chair, joins Christiane Taubira, former French justice minister, for a conversation on democracy, the rule of law, and constitutional traditions from French and American perspectives. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Translation is provided by Nicholas Elliott.
This program is presented in partnership with Villa Albertine’s series, Democracy in an Age of Uncertainty: French and American Perspectives. The series is made possible by the generous support of the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation.
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
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Apr 29, 2025 • 1h
The Future of Birthright Citizenship: A Constitutional Debate
President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship has reignited debates over the 14th Amendment and the meaning of citizenship in America. Legal experts Gabriel Chin of the University of California, Davis School of Law; Amanda Frost of the University of Virginia School of Law; Kurt Lash of the University of Richmond School of Law; and Ilan Wurman of the University of Minnesota Law School analyze the legal challenges surrounding birthright citizenship, explore the constitutional and historical arguments on all sides of this debate, and discuss its broader implications for immigration. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Resources
Trump v. CASA, Inc., United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2025)
Trump v. Washington, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2025)
Trump v. New Jersey, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (2025)
Amanda Frost, You Are Not American: Citizenship Stripping from Dred Scott to the Dreamers (2021)
Amanda Frost, “The Coming Assault on Birthright Citizenship,” The Atlantic (Jan. 7, 2025)
Ilan Wurman and Randy Barnett, “Trump Might Have a Case on Birthright Citizenship,” The New York Times (Feb. 15, 2025)
Ilan Wurman, “Jurisdiction and Citizenship,” Minnesota Legal Studies Research Paper No. 25-27 (April 14, 2025)
Gabriel “Jack” Chin and Paul Finkelman, “Birthright Citizenship, Slave Trade Legislation, and the Origins of Federal Immigration Regulation,” UC Davis Law Review, Vol. 54 (April 8, 2021)
Gabriel J. Chin, “America Has Freaked Out Over Birthright Citizenship For Centuries,” Talking Points Memo (Aug. 2015)
Kurt Lash, “Prima Facie Citizenship: Birth, Allegiance and the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause,” SSRN (Feb. 22, 2025)
Kurt Lash, The Fourteenth Amendment and the Privileges and Immunities of American Citizenship (2014)
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
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Apr 22, 2025 • 58min
The Day the Revolution Began: Lexington and Concord at 250
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, historians Rick Atkinson, author of The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777; Mary Beth Norton, author of 1774: The Long Year of Revolution; and Rosemarie Zagarri, author of Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic, explore the events leading to the first shots of the American Revolution, the battles themselves, and the colonists’ response to this pivotal moment in history. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Resources
Rick Atkinson, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, (2019)
Rick Atkinson, The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780, (2025)
Mary Beth Norton, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution, (2020)
Mary Beth Norton, Liberty’s daughters: The Revolutionary experience of American women, 1750-1800, (1980)
Rosemarie Zagarri, Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic, (2008)
Rosemarie Zagarri, A Woman’s Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution (2nd ed. 2014)
Townshend Act (1767)
The Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)
The Intolerable Acts (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)
Joseph Warren, “Our Country Is In Danger but Not To Be Despaired Of,” (March 6, 1775)
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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
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Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube.
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