Live at the National Constitution Center

Latest Episodes:

#1AUSA Bonus: Simon Tam and The Slants Jul 03, 2019

Show notes

In this bonus episode of our series #1AUSA – conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future, from the National Conference on the First Amendment at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh – artist and activist Simon Tam and his band The Slants tell their story and perform some of their music. Simon Tam led The Slants – an Asian-American dance-rock band – all the way to the Supreme Court to fight to trademark their band’s name, which they purposely chose as reclamation of a slur used against Asian-Americans. They eventually won their case, Matal v. Tam, when the Court unanimously decided that a federal law prohibiting trademark names that disparage others was unconstitutional because “speech may not be banned on the grounds that it expresses ideas that offend.” Since then, Tam and the band have toured the country speaking about the First Amendment and the Constitution, and Tam authored the book 'Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court'.

This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a.

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

#1AUSA Part Five: Teresa Sullivan, Suki Kim Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

In part five of our series #1AUSA – conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future, from the National Conference on the First Amendment at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh – NCC President Jeff Rosen sits down with college presidents David A. Thomas of Morehouse College, Robert Zimmer of the University of Chicago, and Teresa Sullivan, president emerita of the University of Virginia. Sullivan shares the challenges of serving as president during the “Unite the Right” protests in Charlottesville, and all three presidents discuss their efforts to foster free speech and intellectual diversity on their campuses. Later, you’ll hear from a panel of journalists who have reported in foreign countries. They share stories of the sometimes life-threatening situations they and their colleagues face, and of the disparities in press freedom around the world. The emcee you’ll hear from later on is Joy McNally.

This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a.

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

The Human Side of Judging Jun 25, 2019

Show notes

How do judges manage the personal challenges that their role often requires them to face, including unconscious bias, chronic stress, exposure to emotionally-charged circumstances, and public pressure and scrutiny? Current and former judges join in candid conversations about how they have managed these challenges and how they have approached their work.

The first panel features moderator Michael Lewis, author of books like ‘Moneyball’ and ‘The Big Short’ and host of the podcast ‘Against the Rules’, in conversation with Justice Eva Guzman of the Supreme Court of Texas and Judge Charles Breyer of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

The second panel is moderated by National Constitution Center President Jeff Rosen, who sits down with Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute and former U.S. District judge for the Northern District of California Jeremy Fogel, former Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court Carlos Moreno, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Deanell Reece Tacha.

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

#1AUSA Part 4: Nancy Gibbs, Dean Baquet, James O’Keefe Jun 19, 2019

Show notes

Part four of our series #1AUSA – conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future, from the National Conference on the First Amendment held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh – explores the crucial role of the free press in American democracy, and the challenges that journalists and editors face today. The first panel – moderated by National Constitution Center President Jeff Rosen – features Harvard professor and former TIME magazine managing editor Nancy Gibbs, New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly, editor of Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review Luis Fabregas, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman. The second panel features executive editors of the nation’s leading news organizations: Dean Baquet of The New York Times, Marty Baron of The Washington Post, and David Shribman, then of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. You’ll also hear from founder and CEO of Project Veritas James O’Keefe and CNN reporter Salena Zito. The MC you’ll hear throughout is Joy McNally, interim director of the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education at Duquesne University School of Law.

These conversations were edited for length and clarity.

This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a.

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

Revolutionary Constitutions Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

Constitutional scholar Bruce Ackerman discusses his new book, 'Revolutionary Constitutions: Charismatic Leadership and the Rule of Law'―an exploration of the origins, successes, and threats to revolutionary constitutionalism around the world—in conversation with National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen. Professor Ackerman uses historical analysis and comparative constitutionalism to explore how constitutional change happens―here in the United States and around the world.

If you’d like to hear more from Professor Ackerman, check out last week’s episode of our companion podcast We the People:“The Constitutional Stakes of the 2020 Election.”

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

#1AUSA Part Three: Michael Hayden, Tom Ridge, Floyd Abrams Jun 04, 2019

Show notes

Part three of our series #1AUSA – conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future from the National Conference on the First Amendment, held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh – explores what happens when press freedom collides with the interests of national security, and how the Supreme Court has ruled on those disputes, including the Pentagon Papers case. You’ll hear from one of the legendary lawyers involved in that case, Floyd Abrams, in conversation with National Constitution Center Scholar in Residence Michael Gerhardt. Next, Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the NSA and the CIA, and former Sec. of Homeland Security and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge sit down with former Dept. of Homeland Security official Paul Rosenzweig to discuss how they navigated situations that pitted “free speech versus national security” as agency heads. Finally, Google’s Vice President of News, Richard Gingras, explains how Google seeks to keep up with the latest developments in free expression online. The MC you’ll hear throughout is Joy McNally, interim director of the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education at Duquesne University School of Law.

This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a.

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

A Dangerous Idea: The History of Eugenics in America May 29, 2019

Show notes

This episode features a panel discussion on eugenics and its dark social, political, legal, and constitutional history. The National Constitution Center hosted a screening of the documentary “A Dangerous Idea: Eugenics, Genetics and the American Dream.” Following the screening, NCC President Jeffrey Rosen sat down with the film’s co-writer Andrew Kimbrell, journalist and author of ‘The Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants Out of America’ Daniel Okrent, and legal and bioethics scholars Paul Lombardo and Dorothy Roberts for a fascinating discussion of this dark chapter in American history.

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

#1AUSA Part Two: John Kasich, Hugh Hewitt, Mary Beth Tinker May 21, 2019

Show notes

In part two of our series #1AUSA–conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future, live from last year’s National Conference on the First Amendment at Duquesne University–you’ll hear stories of ordinary citizens who have had an extraordinary impact on the First Amendment. The first panel, on First Amendment history and landmark cases, is moderated by Duquesne President Ken Gormley with panelists NCC Scholar in Residence Michael Gerhardt, radio and television commentator Hugh Hewitt, NYU professor Stephen Solomon, and Tulane Law School Professor Amy Gajda. Next, one of those landmark cases is brought to life as President Gormley sits down with Mary Beth Tinker, a plantiff from a pivotal First Amendment case, and First Amendment historian Shawn Peters. Later, Ohio Governor John Kasich shares his thoughts on the special place that First Amendment protections hold among bedrock American freedoms.

This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a.

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

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on Reconstruction and Redemption May 14, 2019

Show notes

Last week, the National Constitution Center opened its new permanent exhibit ‘Civil War and Reconstruction: The Battle for Freedom and Equality’ –America’s first devoted to exploring how constitutional clashes over slavery set the stage for the Civil War, and how the nation transformed the Constitution after the war with the addition of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. To celebrate the exhibit’s opening, NCC President Jeff Rosen sat down with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Gates is the host of a new PBS series about Reconstruction and the author of the new book “Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow”. In this conversation, Gates tells the story of Reconstruction – discussing the advancements of Reconstruction and the Reconstruction Amendments, how those advancements were thwarted by Jim Crow laws and the rise of hate groups, how the Civil Rights Movement fought against that backlash, and how we are still dealing with many of these issues and challenges today.

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

#1AUSA Part One: RBG, Noel Francisco, Juan Williams May 07, 2019

Show notes

Today, we kick off our special series: #1AUSA – conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future. This five part series will dive into the landmark cases and events that have shaped the First Amendment, and explore the technological, political, and legal developments that continue to shape it today. These conversations were held live last year at the National Conference on the First Amendment in Pittsburgh, hosted by Duquesne University and the Pittsburgh Foundation in partnership with the National Constitution Center. You’ll hear from journalists, judges, plaintiffs, and lawyers who have been at the center of some of the most consequential moments in First Amendment history.

This first episode starts off with a panel moderated by NCC President Jeffrey Rosen. Jeff sits down with radio host Hugh Hewitt; Fox News contributor Juan Williams; and Professor Nadine Strossen of New York Law School. They discuss how private actors not bound by the First Amendment—like social media companies and media outlets— make decisions about how to regulate speech, and what to do about it. Next, you’ll hear from U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco and Third Circuit Judge Thomas Hardiman, who share their personal experiences litigating and adjudicating First Amendment cases, in conversation with Duquesne University President Ken Gormley. Later, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg shares a message about what the First Amendment means to her. The MC throughout is Joy McNally, interim director of the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education at Duquesne University School of Law.

This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a.

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