Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

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Ep. 135 - Countdown To Bill of Rights Day: History of the Bill of Rights! Sep 22, 2022

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We are kicking off a new series today focusing on the Bill of Rights. Hopefully we all know the Bill of Rights are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and enshrine some of the most basic tenets of liberty and freedom we know today. But what do we know beyond that? What do we know about how it came to pass through ratification and the debate between the Federalists and Anti-federalists on this issue? And why was James Madison, one of our country's Founders and Father of the Constitution so opposed to its passage initially, and how and why did he become its champion? Join our panel and returning guest Tony Williams with the Bill of Rights Institute for part 1 in our new series on the Bill of Rights.

Ep. 134 - Countdown to Constitution Day: Wrap up-Fixing Lack Of Constitutional Knowledge In The U.S. Sep 15, 2022

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It's been called "The Miracle at Philadephia." Though most of us, we hope, know our Constitution was an experiment in self-government, do we really understand how revolutionary it was in the late 18th century to create such a government or the struggles endured to see it signed and ratified? The Founders believed for this experiment to succeed, the document itself wasn't enough. The principles contained therein have to be in the heart and minds of Americans. In that way, those principles give the document life and animate it. According to our special guest, Dr. Jeffrey Sikkenga, Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center, we must reanimate those principles each generation and relearn them. Our American story is complex. It has heroes and villains, success and failure. At the heart of it is a document signed in 1787 that gave life to our country. Join Dr. Sikkenga and our all-star panel for this enlightening discussion in how we will continue to reanimate the United States Constitution. Check out the Ashbrook Center's new website: AmericanFounding.org.

Ep. 133 - Article VI & VII Sep 08, 2022

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Buckle up, we are going to cover a lot of ground today! As we have learned, the grand structures of our government were created in earlier articles in the US Constitution: Congress, the Presidency, the Judiciary, the Amendment Process, the guarantee of republicanism. Article VI codified that debts incurred by the previous government would be recognized and paid back by the new government under the Constitution. Why was this important in making our new country a player on the international stage? Why were the Supremacy Clause and Oath Clause in Article VI revolutionary for its time and how did they work to bind the states into one unified country? And why wouldn't our country exists if not for Article VII which changed our system for ratifying the new Constitution? Join our student panel and guest, Former Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Andrew Olmem for our discussion into Articles VI and VII of the US Constitution.

Ep. 132 - Article V - Amending The Constitution Sep 02, 2022

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Through Articles, 1-4, The Constitution gives us three branches of government and guarantees republicanism to the states. Should we later desire an amendment to the Constitution, how would that happen? Article V answers that question by codifying an amendment process. The Founders wanted to strike the right balance between too strong of a central government, like the monarchy in England from whom we had just separated, and too weak of a government like we had under the Articles of Confederation. They realized the importance of being able to tweak government without having to overthrow a monarch or engage in revolution. The purpose of Article V is to allow change but not in a hasty manner. Nor was the purpose to require unanimity, as under the Articles of Confederation, making change nearly an impossible achievement. Join our student panel and returning guest, Horace Cooper, senior fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research for this insightful conversation.

Ep. 131 - Article IV - Guaranteeing A Republic Aug 25, 2022

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If you've been following our discussion over the last few weeks about each article of the U.S. Constitution, you know the Founders created the legislative, executive and federal judiciary with Articles 1-3. But it took far more than just organization at the federal level to create our government. Enter Article 4, which guarantees republicanism to every state. Why is that so important and vital in creating a long-lasting peaceful system in which we have both a federal government alongside 50 state governments and what is a regime? Join our panel and returning guest, Will Morrisey, Professor Emeritus at Hillsdale College to find out!

Ep. 130 - Article III - The Size of the Supreme Court Aug 18, 2022

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The Constitution creates the federal judiciary in Article III, but did you know it does not actually give a specific number of Supreme Court Justices we are to have? Throughout our country's history, we have fluctuated between 5-10 Justices, but have held steady at nine since 1869. The last few years have seen a renewed interest in "court-packing," that is, expanding the number of Justices to change the ideological balance of the court. Today we welcome new student panelist and "We The People Contest" winner Lindsey Larkin. Join Lindsey, Tova, Cathy and our special guest, Constitutional expert John Vecchione, Senior Litigation Counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, as we continue our discussion on Article III of the United States Constitution.

Ep. 129 - Article III - The Judicial Branch Aug 11, 2022

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Did you know Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which creates the federal judiciary, has its roots in the Declaration of Independence? That's right. Among the charges Thomas Jefferson cited for independence, he writes, "He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries." The Founding Fathers directly addressed this in Article 3, Section I, when they granted the judiciary to have lifetime appointments and their salaries could not be cut by Congress. Join our special guest, Judge Kenton Skarin with the 18th Judicial Circuit in Illinois, and our student panel for this conversation as we discuss the history of the court, original and appellate jurisdiction, Marbury v. Madison and from where the Court gets the power to rule on constitutionality.

Ep. 128 - Article II - Executive Orders Aug 05, 2022

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The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by one in 1863. One created the precursor to the Department of Homeland Security in October 2001. George Washington issued 8 of them, including one establishing our Thanksgiving Holiday. President Harrison issued none, while President Franklin Roosevelt issued 3,721 (by some count). Today we are discussing Executive Orders. What are they? How are they used? How does the Constitution grant this immense power to the president and what are the mechanisms we have to modify or revoke them? Join our special guest, Kara Rollins, Litigation Counsel with the New Civil Liberties Alliance, and our student panel as we examine the history and current application of executive orders.

Ep. 127 - Article II - The Executive Branch - We Are Counting Down To Constitution Day! Jul 29, 2022

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Regular followers of Constituting America know this by heart: Article I of our Constitution creates Congress which creates law. Article II creates the Executive Branch which enforces law. Article III creates the Judicial Branch which interprets law. Article II is what we are discussing today. While we know the President is the head of the executive branch, that position alone cannot enforce all law. So how does any law passed by Congress actually get enforced? There are 15 Cabinet-level departments in the Executive Branch whose job is to enforce law. Additionally, according to our guest, there are between 320-450 federal agencies, offices within the federal government, that create the rules and regulations that allow Congressionally-passed federal law to be enforced. Our special guest today is Andrew Langer, President of the Institute for Liberty and Chairman and Founder of the Institute for Regulatory Analysis and Engagement. Join Andrew and our student panels for this illustrious discussion into the mechanisms through which our laws are enforced.

Ep. 126 - Article 1 - How A Bill Becomes A Law Jul 22, 2022

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Constituting America viewers of a certain generation will undoubtedly remember a cartoon from Schoolhouse Rock called "I'm Just A Bill" that explained the legislative process in how a bill becomes law. James Madison wanted the process of legislating to be intentionally difficult through both houses to prevent what he called in Federalist 62 as "improper acts of legislation." We all know Congress is made up of two bodies: the House and Senate. But what is the process of how a bill winds its way through the House and Senate and ultimately lands on the President's desk to be signed into law? How can a bill still become law when the President does not sign it? And what on earth are committees, subcommittees, conference committees, party whips and Appropriations and what role do they all play in lawmaking? Join our all-star panel for this informative discussion with Professor Colleen Sheehan of Arizona State University who is also a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives!

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