Live at the National Constitution Center

How did America’s founders view religious liberty? And what does it mean today? Constitutional law experts Marci Hamilton, author of God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty, and Michael McConnell, co-author of Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience, join for a special Constitution Day discussion to celebrate the opening of the Center’s new First Amendment gallery. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Resources: National Constitution Center’s First Amendment gallery  Marci Hamilton, God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty (2014) Marci Hamilton, “‘Warped history’: How the U.S. supreme court justified gutting gay rights,”  The Guardian (Aug 23, 2023) “Prof. Michael McConnell (Stanford) on 303 Creative (the Web Site Designer / Same-Sex Wedding Case),” Volokh Conspiracy (Dec. 2022)  Michael McConnell, Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience (2023) Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.Continue today’s 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.You can find transcripts for each episode on the podcast pages in our Media Library.

The National Constitution Center, in partnership with a coalition of leading free speech organizations, is convened a National First Amendment Summit on September 13, 2023 to discuss the increasing threats to freedom of expression and to celebrate the opening of the Center's new First Amendment gallery.This program is presented in partnership with the Freedom Forum, FIRE, the First Amendment Watch at NYU, PEN America, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.Keynote: A Conversation with Salman Rushdie The keynote panel of the event, a conversation with author and free speech advocate Salman Rushdie about the importance of free speech in a democratic society and the forces of censorship that imperil its existence, was moderated by Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America.Panel 1: The Origins of the First Amendment and Its Central Role in DemocracyProbing the origins of the First Amendment and its critical role as a check on the government Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University Jacob Mchangama, founder and CEO of The Future of Free Speech Project; Research Professor at Vanderbilt University Stephen Solomon, Marjorie Deane Professor of Journalism at New York University; founder of NYU’s First Amendment Watch Moderator: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center Panel 2: The First Amendment in the CourtsExploring the current legal controversies filling the daily headlines—from defamation to book banning to threatening language Floyd Abrams, senior counsel at Cahill Gordon & Reindel Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University Lyrissa Lidsky, Raymond & Miriam Ehrlich Chair in U.S. Constitutional Law at Florida Law Moderator: Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Panel 3: The First Amendment on Campus and OnlineExamining the increasing conflicts involving free speech on campuses and online in an age of social media, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies Will Creeley, legal director at FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Jeannie Suk Gersen, John H. Watson, Jr., Professor of Law at Harvard Law School Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, Emerita, at New York Law School Moderator: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.Continue today’s 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.

The National Constitution Center and the Anti-Defamation League present an America’s Town Hall featuring legal experts Erwin Chemerinsky, Miguel Estrada, Gregory G. Garre, Frederick M. Lawrence, and Dahlia Lithwick to discuss the most significant decisions of the term, including cases on affirmative action, religious accommodation, social media regulation, voting rights, and more. Journalist Amy Howe moderates. Introductory remarks are provided by Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and Marjorie Zessar, chair of ADL’s Legal Affairs Committee.This program is presented in partnership with ADL.Additional Resources ADL, 2023 Supreme Court Review: Written Materials and Resources Groff v. DeJoy (2023) 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023)  Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (2023) Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina (2023) Moore v. Harper (2023) Allen v. Milligan (2023) Gonzalez v. Google LLC (2023) Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh (2023) Biden v. Nebraska (2023) Department of Education v. Brown (2023) Haaland v. Brackeen National Constitution Center, “The Shadow Docket Debate" 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, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

Described in The Federalist as “the celebrated Montesquieu,” Charles de Montesquieu was cited more often than any other author from 1760-1800. In what ways did his writings and ideas help shape the U.S. Constitution and the structure of American government? Join William B. Allen of Michigan State University, Thomas Pangle of the University of Texas at Austin, Dennis Rasmussen of Syracuse University, and Diana Schaub of the American Enterprise Institute, for a discussion on the political thought of Montesquieu and his influence on American democracy. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional Resources Dennis Rasmussen, Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America's Founders Diana Schaub, Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu’s Persian Letters The Federalist Papers Dennis Rasmussen, The Pragmatic Enlightenment: Recovering the Liberalism of Hume, Smith, Montesquieu, and Voltaire Thomas Pangle, Montesquieu’s Philosophy of Liberalism: A Commentary on the Spirit of the Laws Thomas Pangle, The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws: A Critical Edition, ed. William B. Allen Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws (1748) Thomas Pangle, “Considerations on the Romans,” in The Cambridge Companion to Montesquieu Diana Schaub, “Montesquieu on the Liberty of Women," in The Cambridge Companion to Montesquieu Montesquieu, The Persian Letters (1721) 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, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

A panel of libertarian and conservative scholars—J. Joel Alicea of The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Anastasia Boden of the Cato Institute, and Sherif Girgis of Notre Dame Law School—join for an in-depth comparative look at the different strands of originalism as a constitutional methodology. We explore originalism’s modern history and application by current members of the Roberts Court through the examples of recent cases, and how originalism intersects with textualism and other interpretive approaches. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional Resources Moore v. Harper (2023) New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen (2023) Grutter v. Bollinger (2002) District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) National Constitution Center, "Second Amendment," Interactive Constitution Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) Counterman v. Colorado (2023)  John O. McGinnis and Michael B. Rappaport, Originalism and the Good Constitution Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick, "The Letter and the Spirit: A Unified Theory of Originalism," Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works   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, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

Judge Amul Thapar and former Judge Bernice Donald, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, discuss Thapar’s new book, The People’s Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.Additional Resources Amul Thapar, The People’s Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him Kelo v. New London (2005) Bernice Donald and Don Willett, "How to counter today’s tribalism and build ‘a more perfect union’," The Washington Post Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002) Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) Connick v. Thompson (2011)   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, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

In today’s polarized political climate, how can Americans foster constructive conversations and compromise across the political spectrum to address the nation’s most pressing issues? Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, psychologist and author of The Two Moralities: Conservatives, Liberals, and the Roots of Our Political Divide; Matthew Levendusky, political scientist and author of Our Common Bonds: Using What Americans Share to Help Bridge the Partisan Divide; and Kenji Yoshino, legal scholar and author of Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice, join for a conversation exploring the roots of America’s political divide, various strategies for overcoming partisan gridlock, and how and why to engage in difficult discussions to secure the future of democracy. Thomas Donnelly, chief content officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.This program is made possible through the generous support of Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers.Additional Resources Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, The Two Moralities: Conservatives, Liberals, and the Roots of Our Political Divide  Kristen de Groot, “Matthew Levendusky’s Our Common Bonds,” Penn Today  Matthew Levendusky, Our Common Bonds: Using What Americans Share to Help Bridge the Partisan Divide  “Matt Levendusky on Our Common Bonds and Bridging Our Differences,” Annenberg Public Policy Center (2023)  "What is affective polarization?" Politics in Question podcast Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice Matthew Yglesias, "The Great Awokening," Vox Mark Lilla, The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics Marta Zaraska, "The Genes of Left and Right," Scientific American Drew Desilver, "The polarization in today’s Congress has roots that go back decades," Pew Research Center 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis Global Party Survey (2019) Bruce Ackerman and James Fishkin, Deliberation Day Andrew Dobson, Listening for Democracy: Recognition, Representation, Reconciliation Kristie Dotson, "Tracking Epistemic Violence, Tracking Practices of Silencing," Hypatia Dolly Chugh, The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias  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, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

Free-speech advocates Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion, political activist, and chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative; Evan Mawarire, Zimbabwean pastor, democratic activist, and director of education at the Renew Democracy Initiative; and Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, discuss the state of free expression in the United States, Russia, Zimbabwe and around the world. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program is presented in partnership with the Renew Democracy Initiative and the Center for Constitutional Design at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Additional Resources An Open Letter on American Democracy from Global Dissidents “Forgotten Prisoners, Writing for Freedom – Egypt,” Frontlines of Freedom podcast "Narges Mohammadi, PEN America" Garry Kasparov, Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped Evan Mawarire, 2023 Commencement Address at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service Evan Mawarire, “This Flag - A Lament of Zimbabwe” Kasey Meehan and Jonathan Friedman, “Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools,” PEN America Suzanne Nossel, Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All PEN America, Freedom to Write Index 2022  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, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

The Supreme Court’s “shadow docket”—cases in which the Court issues emergency orders and summary decisions without oral argument—has been subject to growing scrutiny. Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak of The New York Times and Jennifer Mascott of the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School join Stephen Vladeck of The University of Texas School of Law for a conversation on Vladeck’s new book, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic, exploring the history and role of the shadow docket and the current debates surrounding the Court’s emergency rulings. Host Jeffrey Rosen moderates.Additional Resources Stephen Vladeck, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic  Stephen Vladeck, “Texas’s Unconstitutional Abortion Ban and the Role of the Shadow Docket,” Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee  National Constitution Center, “The Supreme Court’s ‘Shadow Docket’,” We the People podcast  Jennifer Mascott, “Jurisdiction and the Supreme Court’s Orders Docket,” George Mason Legal Studies Research Paper  Adam Liptak, “Alito Responds to Critics of the Supreme Court’s ‘Shadow Docket,” The New York Times  Stay Connected and Learn MoreQuestions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.  Continue today’s 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.  You can find transcripts for each episode on the podcast pages in our Media Library. 

The National Constitution Center and the Federal Judicial Center present a three-part discussion exploring the evolution of judicial independence in America and its critical role in our democracy from the Founding to present day.This episode features two federal judges discussing their experiences upholding judicial independence in the face of contemporary challenges. Clara Altman, deputy director of the Federal Judicial Center, moderates a conversation with Judge R. Guy Cole, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Judge Sara Lee Ellis of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. This program is presented in partnership with the Federal Judicial Center.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, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.