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Elections, Speech, and Political Disinformation Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

What are the leading proposals to combat election disinformation and are they consistent with the First Amendment? Richard L. Hasen, leading election law expert and author of Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics—and How to Cure It; Sarah Isgur, staff writer at The Dispatch and co-host of the legal podcast Advisory Opinions; and Catherine Ross, free speech expert and author of A Right to Lie? Presidents, Other Liars, and the First Amendment discuss. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

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To watch National Constitution Center Town Hall programs live, check out our schedule of upcoming programs. Register through Zoom to ask your constitutional questions in the Q&A or watch live on YouTube.

Former Secretaries of Education on What Education Means for Democracy Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

On February 5, Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderated a panel hosted by the National Council for the Social Studies as a part of their annual conference. The panel featured three former U.S. Secretaries of Education: Rod Paige (2001 – 2005), Arne Duncan (2009 – 2015), and John B. King, Jr. (2016 – 2017). They share stories of the teachers who shaped them, perspectives on teaching history honestly, and reflections on public education's contributions to democracy.

Many thanks to the National Council for the Social Studies for providing the audio for Live at the National Constitution Center listeners.

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Adams, Jefferson, and the Turbulent Election of 1800 Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

The election of 1800—which marked the first-ever peaceful transfer of power between political parties in American history—gave birth to the country’s two-party system that still exists today. Join presidential historians Lindsay Chervinsky, author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, and Edward Larson, author of A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign, as they discuss one of the most contentious and partisan elections in U.S. history and what we can learn from it. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

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Election Integrity and Voting Rights: Should We Rewrite the Rules? Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

The National Constitution Center and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, as part of their ongoing conversations about how to restore the guardrails of American democracy, present a conversation exploring recent proposals to protect the integrity of our election process. Join Charles C.W. Cooke, senior writer at National Review; Edward B. Foley, professor and director of the election law program at The Ohio State University; Michael T. Morley, professor at Florida State University Law; and Dawn Teele, SNF Agora Institute associate professor of political science, as they debate the merits of legislation pending in Congress and the states. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This program is presented in partnership with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University as part of the National Constitution Center’s Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy initiative, and made possible with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)and Mike and Jackie Bezos.

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The Rule of Law in America and Abroad Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

The National Constitution Center and Renew Democracy Initiative present a discussion exploring how the rule of law is protected in constitutional systems around the world—including the United States—and how to ensure its survival when threatened by modern challenges. What happens to constitutions when legal and political norms are violated, and how can we defend rule of law and ensure that our civic institutions remain strong? The panel will feature a unique set of perspectives, including both foreign dissidents who have risked their lives to fight for freedom in their home countries—Garry Kasparov, chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative, and Judge Claudia Escobar, former magistrate of the Court of Appeals of Guatemala and distinguished visiting professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University—and legal experts Robert P. George and Kim Lane Scheppele of Princeton University. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Uriel Epshtein, executive director of the Renew Democracy Initiative, provides remarks.

This program is presented in partnership with the Renew Democracy Initiative and the SNF Paideia Program at the University of Pennsylvania. It was streamed live on February 9, 2022.

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The First Amendment and the Censor’s Dilemma Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

Adam Liptak, New York Times Supreme Court reporter, and Nadine Strossen, free speech expert and author of HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, join leading First Amendment lawyer Robert Corn-Revere to explore the efforts at censoring unpopular speech throughout American history as described in Corn-Revere’s latest book, The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This conversation was streamed live on February 3rd, 2022.

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Justice Breyer on Precedent, Pragmatism, and the Supreme Court (Rebroadcast) Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Last week, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his decision to retire after 28 years on the Supreme Court. Justice Breyer joined Jeff Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, last spring-- for a live online program to discuss the Constitution, civility, the Court, and more.

In light of Justice Breyer’s announcement, we wanted to revisit that conversation for today’s episode. Listen as the justice discusses how he goes about making decisions, shares some stories and life lessons from his time on the bench, and shares some of his favorite books and authors. He also explains why civic education is so important today, why people need to reach across the political divides more than ever, and why he's optimistic about the future of America.

This conversation was one of our constitutional classes broadcast live to learners of all ages. All of the classes from the past school year were recorded and can be watched for free at https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library.

Additional resources and transcripts available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library.

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

India and America: A Constitutional Dialogue Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

How are the U.S. and Indian constitutions alike—and how do they differ? Two leading Indian constitutional law experts and senior advocates at the Supreme Court of India—Arvind Datar and Menaka Guruswamy—join American comparative law expert Tom Ginsburg of the University of Chicago Law School to discuss the similarities and differences between the U.S. and Indian constitutions, and explore the biggest constitutional issues currently facing both nations. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This conversation was streamed live on January 25, 2022.

This program is presented in partnership with the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

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The Meaning of Equality Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Where did the idea that “all men are created equal” come from, and what did those words mean when Thomas Jefferson wrote them in the Declaration of Independence? What has equality meant in America over time—and what does it mean today? William Allen, emeritus professor of political philosophy and emeritus dean at James Madison College at Michigan State University; Erika Bachiochi, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Ellen Carol DuBois, distinguished research professor at UCLA; and Jack Rakove, emeritus professor of history and political science at Stanford University, join to explore the idea of equality throughout American history. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This conversation was streamed live on December 15th, 2021.

This program is made possible through the generous support of Citizens.

Live at the National Constitution Center is taking a break for the holidays! We’ll be back in January with more great shows that you won’t want to miss.

In the meantime, take a listen to episodes from the archive, or head over to our other show, We the People, for some lively and civil constitutional debates.

From all of us at the National Constitution Center, we wish you a happy and healthy new year.

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Poetry and the Constitution Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

How have poets and poetry—from John Milton to Mercy Otis Warren and Phillis Wheatley—influenced the Constitution and America’s core democratic principles? Join Vincent Carretta, editor of the Penguin Classics editions of the Complete Writings of Phillis Wheatley and professor emeritus of English at the University of Maryland, Eileen M. Hunt, full professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, and Eric Slauter, associate professor and director of the Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago, for a discussion exploring the ways poetry has intersected with the Constitution and constitutional ideas throughout American history. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This conversation was streamed live on December 8th, 2021.

Additional resources and transcript available in our Media Library at constitutioncenter.org/constitution.

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

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