Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

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Ep. 206 - Can Elected Officials Block You On Social Media? Apr 05, 2024

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Did you know the United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear four cases pertaining to social media this term? One of the major issues is whether or not an elected official has the authority to limit speech on social media accounts by blocking critical comments pertaining to their work in office. We know government cannot prohibit your speech, but are elected officials required to permit all comments on their official pages, or can they censor them? What about their personal pages? Can the government pressure social media companies to take down posts the government seems "misinformation"? There's a lot to unpack with these various cases so we are delighted to welcome Michael Dimino, Professor of Law at Widener University's Commonwealth Law School for this very timely discussion.

Ep. 205 - How To Fix Congress? Mar 28, 2024

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Who is the Speaker of the House and what are his duties? How does a bill become law? What are the three branches of government. Let's be honest, so many in our country are not fully educated on civics. If we don't understand how Congress works, we get frustrated with the whole process. This leads to an overall sentiment that Congress is broken. Our guest today likes to say "without public trust, you cannot govern. Without governing, people get angry and hostile and walk away from the system." Today, joining our student panel to discuss how we can begin to fix this, is our special guest Michael S. Johnson, author of "Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People."

Ep. 204 - George Washington's Vision For National Government Mar 23, 2024

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Winning a war was just the beginning for George Washington's service to our new country. After retiring to Mount Vernon post-war, Washington saw a weakness in our country under the Articles of Confederation. He felt the future of republican democratic self-government globally was dependent on the American experiment. If it were to fail in that perfect post-war moment, man was probably not destined to govern himself. Washington's views on what the government should look like can seem to be contradictory in that he wanted a strong central government, as opposed to what the country had under the Articles of Confederation, but he also wanted the National government to be limited. Rather than contradictory, this reveals a principled man. To discuss Washington's vision for the country with our student panel, we are delighted to welcome back Tony Williams, Senior Teaching Fellow with the Bill of Rights Institute for this historical conversation.

Ep. 203 - The Strategy for State Government Mar 14, 2024

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The relationship between the federal and state governments is not always clear. These two governments exist simultaneously but at times have different goals and objectives. The federal government can use its purse strings to coerce a state government to take an action and that state can simply refuse. The Founders wanted states to solve major issues that were not under the federal purview to establish "laboratories of democracy." Joining our all-star student panel, we are happy to welcome Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia state senator, Virginia attorney general and Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, as we discuss this unique relationship.

Ep. 202 - The Importance of Local Government Mar 08, 2024

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Can you name the President? We hope yes! Can you name your state's governor? More than likely yes. But can you name your mayor and city council members? While the issues nationally get the most attention, your local government's actions impact your day-to-day life more. Issues like your water supply, trash pickup, sewage, and police and fire departments are all controlled by local entities. Some mayors aren't paid a salary at all but one defining feature of mayors is they come directly out of the community in which they are serving. They are your friend and neighbor. To help us better grasp the importance of local officials, we are delighted to welcome Andrew Wambsganss, former mayor of Southlake, TX., to our podcast as we discuss the duties and responsibilities of local government officials, and why he says you can have the most impact by local government participation.

Ep. 201 - The Genius of the Town Hall Mar 01, 2024

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Regular listeners will certainly recognize this famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence: "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." As the governed who give consent to the government, we have several mechanisms through which we can give that consent and voice approval or disapproval with an elected official. Perhaps the most direct mechanism is through a town hall discussion. A town hall is simply a public meeting between an elected official and their constituents where a number of topics pertaining to upcoming or past legislation can be discussed. To help us better understand all things related to a town hall, we are delighted to have two guests joining our student panel. Rochelle Porto is a longtime Pennsylvania activist who regularly participates in town halls in her state and Rep. Lynn Stucky has represented parts of North Texas in the Texas Legislature since 2017.

Ep. 200 - What is Federalism Anyway? Feb 23, 2024

Show notes

At Constituting America, we love to talk about federalism. Federalism is a founding principle that government authority is best when one central government does not have all authority, but it is divvied up between local, state and national government. Have you ever thought about why we have this system and what its virtues are? In a large country with varied geographical interests, why does this system work? Should those closest to a problem be the ones to solve that problem, and what are the benefits of this principle of subsidiarity? To help us further grasp the virtues of federalism, we are delighted to welcome Brenda Hafera, Assistant Director and Senior Policy Analyst for the Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation, for this engaging discussion.

Ep. 199 - The U.S. Constitution and Protecting Citizens: Federal vs. State Feb 16, 2024

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We have a military. We have a militia. When it comes to protecting our citizens, both play a role. The same militia mentioned in the second amendment is actually defined in 10 U.S. Code § 246 as able-bodied men over 17 and under 45 years old, who are or intend to become US citizens and female citizens who are members of the National Guard. What precisely are the differences in roles of the organized and unorganized militia compared to the military? Under what circumstances is a militia's Commander in Chief the President or a state's governor? When can the military and militia be deployed and what are the limits placed on them such as "posse comitatus?" To help our student panel answer these questions, we are delighted to welcome back longtime friend of Constituting America, Andrew Langer. Andrew is an author, speaker, writer, frequent guest on both radio and TV programs and the President of the Institute for Liberty.

Ep. 198 - The U.S. Constitution and The Border Feb 08, 2024

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One of the biggest events in the news lately has been the situation at our southern border and illegal immigration. Texas, due to its lengthy border with Mexico, is front and center in this discussion that involves the role both state and federal governments play in immigration. While the U.S. Constitution says Congress has the authority to write immigration-related laws and the executive branch has the authority to implement these laws, what can a state do if the laws are not carried out? Joining our all-star student panel to answer this, we are pleased to welcome Lora Ries, Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation.

Ep. 197 - The U.S. Constitution and National Sovereignty Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

Since World War II, the United States, as the world's lone superpower, has promoted democracy around the world with a focus on the longevity of the nation-state. After all, a nation-state that is whole and free, holds free and frequent elections and is representative of its people will tend to have greater stability, less war, more prosperity and greater trade opportunities. But as our guest discusses, lately we are seeing a greater build-up of multi-lateral and regional organizations to replace the nation-state. How can the US foster a greater reliance on the nation-state as the core unit of analysis? How can we promote relationships between nation-states, instead of regional bureaucracies, for more prosperity? Joining our student panel, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Kiron Skinner, Taube Professor of International Relations and Politics at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy.

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