We the People

Latest Episodes:

Introducing Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

In our new podcast, Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness, Jeffrey Rosen explores the founders’ lives with the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker Ken Burns shares his daily practice of self-reflection.

The “pursuit of happiness” is one of the most famous phrases in American history. When America’s founders wrote it in the Declaration of Independence, they intended it to mean happiness through lifelong learning and self-improvement.

To start our series, Jeffrey Rosen and Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, trace how the meaning of the pursuit of happiness has changed over time. Then, American filmmaker Ken Burns, who has spent his “entire life trying to figure out the United States,” shares how daily self-reflection has given him new perspectives on what the founders faced 250 years ago.

Follow Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr 
Explore theAmerica at 250 Civic Toolkit
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen
Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube
Support our important work:

Donate

Can President Trump Fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook? Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Christine Chabot of Marquette University Law School and Michael McConnell of Stanford Law School join to discuss Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s termination and the broader legal and constitutional issues it raises, such as the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve and the scope of the president’s removal power.

Resources

Trump v. Wilcox (2025)
Collins v. Yellin (2021)
Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2020)
Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935)
Christine Chabot, “Is the Federal Reserve Constitutional? An Originalist Argument for Independent Agencies,” Notre Dame Law Review (2020)
Michael McConnell, “Opinion: Save the Federal Reserve’s independence by splitting the agency,” Washington Post (September 3, 2025)

In our new podcast, Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness, Jeffrey Rosen explores the founders’ lives with the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker Ken Burns shares his daily practice of self-reflection.

Listen to episodes of Pursuit on ⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠.

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr. 
Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. 
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube. 
Support our important work:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

The History and Future of Partisan Gerrymandering in America Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Bradley Smith of Capital University Law School and Nicholas Stephanopoulos of Harvard Law School join to discuss the history and future of partisan gerrymandering, including the mid-decade redistricting battles of the Gilded Age and the ongoing mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas and California.

Resources

Rucho v. Common Cause (2019)
Reynolds v. Sims (1964)
Nicholas Stephanopoulos, Aligning Election Law (2024)
Nicholas Stephanopoulos & Eric McGhee, “Partisan Gerrymandering and the Efficiency Gap,” Chicago Unbound (2014)
Bradley Smith, Unfree Speech: The Folly of Campaign Finance Reform(2001)

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

A Conversation on America’s 250th Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Sabrina Lynn Motley, director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, discuss how their institutions are celebrating America’s 250th birthday. This conversation took place at Chautauqua Institution 2025 Summer Assembly.

Resources

Jeff Rosen, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton and Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America
Chautauqua Institution, Sabrina Lynn Motley and Jeffrey Rosen
National Constitution Center, America’s Town Hall

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

Is Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act Unconstitutional? Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Bradley Smith of Capital University Law School and Nicholas Stephanopoulos of Harvard Law School join to discuss the history and future of racial gerrymandering, including how the Court’s upcoming decision in Louisiana v. Callais could affect the Voting Rights Act.

Resources

Louisiana v. Callais (2025)
Allen v. Milligan (2023)
Shelby County v. Holder (2013)
Nicholas Stephanopoulos, Aligning Election Law (2024)
Bradley Smith, Unfree Speech: The Folly of Campaign Finance Reform (2001)

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

The Oldest Constitutional Question Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Richard Primus of the University of Michigan Law School and John Harrison of the University of Virginia School of Law join to discuss Primus’s new book The Oldest Constitutional Question: Enumeration and Federal Power, which challenges the prevailing understanding of congressional power and argues that Congress is not limited to its textually enumerated powers. Their conversation traces how this fundamental disagreement has shaped key moments in American constitutional history, from the Founding Era to the New Deal, and why the debate remains unsettled today.

Resources

Richard Primus, The Oldest Constitutional Question: Enumeration and Federal Power (2025)
Richard Primus, “’The Essential Characteristic’: Enumerated Powers and the Bank of the United States,” Michigan Law Review (2018)
John Harrison, “Enumerated Federal Power and the Necessary and Proper Clause (reviewingThe Origins of the Necessary and Proper Clause by Gary Lawson, Geoffrey P. Miller, Robert G. Natelson, Guy I. Seidman),” The University of Chicago Law Review (2011)
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Mary Ziegler of the UC Davis School of Law and Stephen Gilles of the Quinnipiac University School of Law join to discuss Ziegler’s new book Personhood: The New Civil War over Reproduction, which explores the history and goals of the anti-abortion movement in the United States.

Resources

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization(2022)
Mary Ziegler, Personhood: The New Civil War over Reproduction (2025)
Mary Ziegler, Abortion and Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present(2020)
Stephen Gilles, “What Does Dobbs Mean for the Constitutional Right to a Life-or-Health-Preserving Abortion,” Mississippi Law Journal (2023)
Stephen Gilles, “Why Fourteenth Amendment Personhood Requires Live Birth,” Notre Dame Journal of Ethics and Public Policy (2025)

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

W.E.B. Du Bois and His Impact on America Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Levering Lewis joins to unpack Du Bois’ life, legacy, and enduring impact on American history and discuss his new memoir, The Stained Glass Window.

Resources

David Levering Lewis, The Stained Glass Window: A Family History as the American Story, 1790–1958, (2025)
David Levering Lewis, W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography 1868–1963, (2009)
American Historical Association, “W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963): Historian, Sociologist, Editor, Activist,” Perspectives on History, (2023)
W.E.B. Du Bois, The Talented Tenth, (1903)
W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk: Centennial Edition, (2003)

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

Can President Trump unilaterally lay off 1,400 Department of Education employees? Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Derek Black of the University of South Carolina School of Law and Neal McCluskey of the Cato Institute join to discuss this recent emergency docket decision and explore the history of federal involvement in education.

Resources 

McMahon v. New York (2025)
Scott Harris with Derek Black, “Trump’s Targeting of Education Department Could Eliminate Dozens of Federal Programs for Millions of Students Nationwide,” Counterpoint (Feb. 10, 2025)
Derek Black, “Dangerous Learning: The South’s Long War on Black Literacy,” (2025)
Neal McCluskey, “Right Supreme Court Call on Downsizing the US Department of Education,” Cato at Liberty (July 14, 2025)
Neal McCluskey, Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education, (2007)

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

Covering the Supreme Court Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Jess Bravin of The Wall Street Journal, Jan Crawford of CBS News, and Fred Smith Jr. of Stanford Law School join to explore polarization on the Court and the role of the media and the political branches in shaping public perceptions.

Resources

T rump v. CASA, Inc. (2025)
Jess Bravin and Mariah Timms, “Supreme Court Limits Rulings Against Trump on Birthright Citizenship,” The Wall Street Journal (June 27, 2025)
Jan Crawford, Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for the Control of the United States Supreme Court (2007)
Fred O. Smith, Jr. and Peter O’Neill, “The Forgotten Face of ‘Our Federalism,’” The Yale Law Journal (forthcoming, 2026)

Stay Connected and Learn More

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Support our important work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

We the People

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6