Live at the National Constitution Center

Justice Stephen Breyer discusses his book on constitutional interpretation, advocating for pragmatism over textualism. He explores the complexities of legal interpretation, challenges in historical language interpretation, and the implications of anti-regulatory views. Breyer emphasizes the importance of unity and empowering the next generation in upholding democracy's founding ideals.

Acclaimed Lincoln historians Sidney Blumenthal, author of the three-volume The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, and Harold Holzer, author of the new book Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration, assess Lincoln’s life and legacy to unveil remarkable similarities between the 19th century and today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional Resources Harold Holzer, Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration Sidney Blumenthal, Wrestling With His Angel: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. II, 1849-1856 Abraham Lincoln, Cooper Union Address (1860, February 27) Harold Holzer, Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President Stay Connected and Learn MoreQuestions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Continue today’s conversation on social media @ConstitutionCtr and #AmericasTownHallSign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.Please subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Richard Hasen, author of A Real Right to Vote, Sarah Isgur, senior editor of The Dispatch, and Lawrence Lessig, author of How to Steal a Presidential Election, provide a health check on the state of American democracy, and look ahead to potential areas of vulnerability in the run-up to the 2024 election. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional Resources Richard L. Hasen, A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy Lawrence Lessig and Matthew Seligman, How to Steal a Presidential Election Jeffrey Rosen, “The Supreme Court Says States Can’t Keep Trump Off the Ballot," We the People, National Constitution Center Trump v. Anderson (2024) Sarah Isgur and David French,“Indictment Watch: The Supreme Court Decides Whether States Can Disqualify Trump,” Advisory Opinions, The Dispatch Richard L. Hasen, “The Supreme Court Just Delivered a Rare Self-Own for John Roberts,” Slate (March 5, 2023) Conference Report, “Carter-Baker Commission: 16 Years Later” (2021) Trump v. Anderson, Amicus brief of Richard L. Hasen, Edward Foley and Ben Ginsburg Stay Connected and Learn MoreContinue today’s conversation on social media @ConstitutionCtr and #AmericasTownHallSign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly. Please subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

On Presidents Day 2024, NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen launched his new book at the NCC in conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic. They discuss The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America. This program was recorded live on February 19, 2024, and presented in partnership with The Atlantic. Additional Resources:   Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America (2024)  Cicero, The Tusculan Disputations (ca. 45 BC)  The Quill Project   The King James Bible (1611)  Pythagoras, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy   The Webster-Hayne Debates   Trump v. Anderson  “Should President Trump Be Allowed on the 2024 Ballot?,” We the People podcast (Jan. 11, 2024)  “Rhetoric of Freedom,” The Atlantic (Sept. 1999)  Stay Connected and Learn MoreContinue the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.Please subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

In celebration of Black History Month, explore the history of the African American fight for freedom during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods with historians Edda Fields-Black, author of Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War, and James Oakes, author of Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865. Thomas Donnelly, chief content officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional Resources Edda L. Fields-Black, COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War James Oakes, Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861–1865 James Oakes, The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics UUSCT Pension Files Stay Connected and Learn MoreContinue the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.Please subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Caroline Fredrickson, Timothy Sandefur, and Ilan Wurman discuss their approaches to constitution drafting in the Constitution Drafting Project. They cover topics such as amending the Constitution, determining presidential eligibility, reinvigorating Congress, term limits for Supreme Court justices, and the influence of the Declaration of Independence on proposed amendments.

Scottish philosopher David Hume's profound impact on shaping America is discussed by Angela Coventry, Dennis Rasmussen, and Aaron Alexander Zubia. Topics include Hume's influence on the Founding Fathers, his ideas on happiness and property, his political philosophy, religious skepticism, and the importance of distinguishing epistemology and politics.

Several cases before the Supreme Court raise important questions at the intersection of technology and law. Join legal experts Alex Abdo of the Knight First Amendment Institute, Clay Calvert of the American Enterprise Institute, and David Greene of the Electronic Frontier Foundation for a conversation exploring key tech cases, including whether Florida and Texas can regulate the platforms’ content moderation policies. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional ResourcesKnight Institute's Amicus Brief (in support of neither party), Moody v. NetChoice & NetChoice v. PaxtonClay Calvert, “Friends of the Court, Friends of the First Amendment: Exploring Amicus Brief Support for Platforms’ Editorial Independence,” AEI (Dec. 22, 2023)Knight Institute Amicus Brief in Murthy v. Missouri (in support of neither party)Clay Calvert, “Persuasion or Coercion? Understanding the Government’s Position in Murthy v. Missouri, Part I,” AEI (Jan. 8, 2024)David Greene, “In Jawboning Cases, there’s no getting away from textual analysis,” Knight First Amendment Institute (Nov. 7, 2023)David Greene, EFF Amicus Brief in O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed (in support of Lindke and Garnier)Miami Herald Publishing Company v. Tornillo (1974)Stay Connected and Learn MoreContinue the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.Please subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Joyce Lee Malcolm and Eli Merritt discuss the origins of loyalists and patriots during the American Revolution, the fear of disunity and civil war, the road to independence, the complexity of slavery and the fear of demagogues, and the importance of civil and thoughtful conversations.

Robert Post, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School, delves into the highly anticipated volumes from the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise History of the Supreme Court, The Taft Court Making Law for a Divided Nation, 1921–1930. Post explores the history of the Taft Court and the contrasting constitutional approaches among its justices, including Louis Brandeis and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., among others. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional Resources Robert Post, The Taft Court: Making Law for a Divided Nation, 1921–1930 Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 (1923) Chas. Wolff Packing Co. v. Court of Ind. Relations, 262 U.S. 522 (1923) Whitney v. California (1927) Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) Gitlow v. New York (1925) Stay Connected and Learn MoreContinue the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.Please subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.