Live at the National Constitution Center

By National Constitution Center

What's Live at the National Constitution Center about?

Live constitutional conversations and debates featuring leading historians, journalists, scholars, and public officials hosted at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and across America. To watch National Constitution Center Town Halls live, check out our schedule of upcoming programs at constitutioncenter.org/townhall. Register through Zoom to ask your constitutional questions in the Q&A or watch live on YouTube at YouTube.com/ConstitutionCenter.

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Live at the National Constitution Center episodes:

04.09.2024
Justice Stephen Breyer on Reading the Constitution
On Thursday March 28 at the NCC, Jeffrey Rosen sat down with Justice Stephen Breyer to discuss his new book, Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism. Justice Breyer deconstructs the textualist philosophy of the current Supreme Court’s...
04.02.2024
Lincoln’s Lessons: Then and Now
Acclaimed Lincoln historians Sidney Blumenthal, author of the three-volume The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, and Harold Holzer, author of the new book Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration, assess Lincoln’s life and legacy to unveil remarkable similarities between the...
03.26.2024
Democracy Checkup: Preparing for the 2024 Election
Richard Hasen, author of A Real Right to Vote, Sarah Isgur, senior editor of The Dispatch, and Lawrence Lessig, author of How to Steal a Presidential Election, provide a health check on the state of American democracy, and look ahead to potential areas of vulnerability...
02.27.2024
The Pursuit of Happiness: A Book Launch and Conversation with Jeffrey Rosen and Jeffrey Goldberg
On Presidents Day 2024, NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen launched his new book at the NCC in conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic. They discuss The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and...
02.20.2024
Following Tubman’s Trail: Unveiling Stories of the African American Quest for Freedom
In celebration of Black History Month, explore the history of the African American fight for freedom during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods with historians Edda Fields-Black, author of Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil...
02.06.2024
Constitution Drafting Project: A Discussion of Five New Amendments
The Center for Constitutional Design at Arizona State University and the National Constitution Center present a discussion on the NCC’s landmark Constitution Drafting Project, featuring members of the drafting teams: Caroline Fredrickson of team progressive, Timothy Sandefur of team libertarian, and Ilan Wurman of team conservative. They...
01.30.2024
David Hume and the Ideas That Shaped America
Called “a degenerate son of science” by Thomas Jefferson and a “bungling lawgiver” by James Madison, Scottish philosopher David Hume was cited so often at the Constitutional Convention that delegates seemed to have committed his essays to memory. Join Angela Coventry,...
01.16.2024
Unpacking the Supreme Court’s Tech Term
Several cases before the Supreme Court raise important questions at the intersection of technology and law. Join legal experts Alex Abdo of the Knight First Amendment Institute, Clay Calvert of the American Enterprise Institute, and David Greene of the Electronic Frontier Foundation for a conversation exploring...
12.19.2023
Loyalists vs. Patriots and the American Revolution
Joyce Lee Malcolm, author of The Times That Try Men’s Souls: The Adams, the Quincys, and the Families Divided by the American Revolution—and How They Shaped a New Nation, and Eli Merritt, author of Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American...
12.12.2023
The Taft Court: Making Law for a Divided Nation
Robert Post, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School, delves into the highly anticipated volumes from the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise History of the Supreme Court, The Taft Court Making Law for a Divided Nation, 1921–1930. Post explores the history...
12.05.2023
From Spies to Leakers: The History of the Espionage Act
The Espionage Act of 1917, one of the most contentious statutes relating to the First Amendment, is back in the news following the indictment of President Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents. What is the Espionage Act and how has...
11.28.2023
Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Minority
Political scientists Frances Lee of Princeton University, Steven Levitsky of Harvard University and coauthor of Tyranny of the Minority, and Kurt Weyland of the University of Texas at Austin and author of Democracy's Resilience to Populism's Threat, explore some of the new theories and approaches to the challenges...
11.21.2023
What the Black Intellectual Tradition Can Teach Us About Democracy
New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie and political scientist Melvin Rogers, author of The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought, explore the ways key African American intellectuals and artists—from David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and W.E.B. Du Bois to...
11.14.2023
From Founders to Politicians: Political Divisions at America’s Birth
The election of 1800 was the first hotly contested partisan election in American history. Still, peaceful transfers of power continued for the next two centuries. But how? Carol Berkin, author of A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth...
11.07.2023
Native Peoples and Redefining U.S. History
Historians Ned Blackhawk and Brenda Child join for a conversation on Blackhawk’s national bestseller, The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History—a sweeping retelling of American history. They explore five centuries of U.S. history to shed light on the central...
10.17.2023
From FDR to Biden: The Creation of the Modern Presidency
The Center for Constitutional Design at Arizona State University and the National Constitution Center present a discussion exploring how the institution of the modern presidency has evolved through the lens of studying the constitutional visions and approaches to executive power...
10.10.2023
The Forgotten Years of the Civil Rights Movement
Prize-winning historians Kate Masur, author of Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction, and Dylan Penningroth, author of the new book Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights, explore the central role of African...
10.03.2023
How to Interpret the Constitution: A Citizen’s Guide
New York Times bestselling author Cass Sunstein unveils his new book, How to Interpret the Constitution—a citizen’s guide to the rival approaches of originalism and living constitutionalism. Sunstein is joined by leading constitutional expert Philip Bobbitt of Columbia Law School to discuss the current controversies surrounding...
09.19.2023
The History of Religious Liberty in America
How did America’s founders view religious liberty? And what does it mean today? Constitutional law experts Marci Hamilton, author of God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty, and Michael McConnell, co-author of Agreeing to Disagree: How the...
09.15.2023
National First Amendment Summit
The National Constitution Center, in partnership with a coalition of leading free speech organizations, is convened a National First Amendment Summit on September 13, 2023 to discuss the increasing threats to freedom of expression and to celebrate the opening of...
07.18.2023
2023 Annual Supreme Court Review
The National Constitution Center and the Anti-Defamation League present an America’s Town Hall featuring legal experts Erwin Chemerinsky, Miguel Estrada, Gregory G. Garre, Frederick M. Lawrence, and Dahlia Lithwick to discuss the most significant decisions of the term, including cases on affirmative action, religious accommodation, social media regulation,...
07.11.2023
Montesquieu and the Constitution
Described in The Federalist as “the celebrated Montesquieu,” Charles de Montesquieu was cited more often than any other author from 1760-1800. In what ways did his writings and ideas help shape the U.S. Constitution and the structure of American government? Join William B....
07.04.2023
The Modern History of Originalism
A panel of libertarian and conservative scholars—J. Joel Alicea of The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Anastasia Boden of the Cato Institute, and Sherif Girgis of Notre Dame Law School—join for an in-depth comparative look at the different strands of originalism as...
06.27.2023
Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him
Judge Amul Thapar and former Judge Bernice Donald, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, discuss Thapar’s new book, The People’s Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution...
06.20.2023
Deliberation and Democratic Norms in America
In today’s polarized political climate, how can Americans foster constructive conversations and compromise across the political spectrum to address the nation’s most pressing issues? Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, psychologist and author of The Two Moralities: Conservatives, Liberals, and the Roots of Our Political Divide; Matthew...
06.13.2023
The State of Free Expression in the U.S. and Abroad
Free-speech advocates Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion, political activist, and chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative; Evan Mawarire, Zimbabwean pastor, democratic activist, and director of education at the Renew Democracy Initiative; and Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, discuss the state of free...
06.06.2023
The Shadow Docket Debate
The Supreme Court’s “shadow docket”—cases in which the Court issues emergency orders and summary decisions without oral argument—has been subject to growing scrutiny. Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak of The New York Times and Jennifer Mascott of the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School join Stephen...
05.30.2023
The Evolution of Judicial Independence in America — Part 3
The National Constitution Center and the Federal Judicial Center present a three-part discussion exploring the evolution of judicial independence in America and its critical role in our democracy from the Founding to present day. This episode features two federal judges discussing their experiences...
05.23.2023
The Evolution of Judicial Independence in America — Part 2
The National Constitution Center and the Federal Judicial Center present a three-part discussion exploring the evolution of judicial independence in America and its critical role in our democracy from the Founding to present day. This episode explores judicial independence and the federal...
05.17.2023
The Evolution of Judicial Independence in America — Part 1
The National Constitution Center and the Federal Judicial Center present a three-part discussion exploring the evolution of judicial independence in America and its critical role in our democracy from the Founding to present day. This episode features a conversation with historians Mary Sarah...
05.09.2023
The Future of Affirmative Action
With the Supreme Court weighing two cases involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina that could end affirmative action in higher education, scholars William B. Allen of Michigan State University and Hasan Kwame Jeffries of The Ohio State University discuss its future. Jeffrey Rosen, president...
05.02.2023
Women and the American Idea
Tomiko Brown-Nagin, author of Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality, and Elizabeth Cobbs, author of Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé explore key influential women throughout history and how these women inspired constitutional change. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO...
04.25.2023
Solicitors General and the Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court decides some of the most challenging and important constitutional and statutory issues facing America through its interpretive methodologies. In this episode, we explore the various approaches to constitutional interpretation and key doctrines—including originalism, textualism, and the...
04.04.2023
Civic Virtue and Citizenship
In this episode we explore the concepts of civic virtue and citizenship in democratic societies. Joining the conversation are: Christopher Beem, author of The Seven Democratic Virtues: What You Can Do to Overcome Tribalism and Save Our Democracy; Richard Haass, author of The Bill...
03.28.2023
The Constitutional Role of the State Solicitor General
The National Constitution Center and the National Association of Attorneys General host a bipartisan conversation with Dan Schweitzer, director and chief counsel of the National Association of Attorneys General Center for Supreme Court Advocacy; Lindsay See, solicitor general of West Virginia; and Barbara Underwood, solicitor general...
03.21.2023
Amendment Reform in America and Abroad
The National Constitution Center and the Center for Constitutional Design at Arizona State University present a comparative discussion of how democracies amend their constitutions, at home and around the world. A panel of distinguished scholars, including Wilfred Codrington of Brooklyn Law School,...
03.15.2023
Lessons from Tocqueville in America
Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America has been called by Harvey Mansfield the “best book ever written on democracy and the best book ever written on America." What can a 200-year-old book teach us about democracy in America today? Scholars—Jeremy Jennings, author of Travels...
03.07.2023
Slavery and Liberty at America’s Founding
Historians Harold Holzer, author of several books on President Abraham Lincoln, including Lincoln: How Abraham Lincoln Ended Slavery in America; and Manisha Sinha, author of The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition; join Edward Larson for a conversation on Larson’s new book, American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth...
01.31.2023
Affirmative Action and the 14th Amendment
As the U.S. Supreme Court considers a key case on affirmative action, the National Constitution Center and the University of Pennsylvania’s Journal of Constitutional Law convene experts to discuss this important subject as part of the Journal’s annual law symposium. Join Jin Hee Lee of...
12.14.2022
FDR and the Transformation of the Supreme Court
This month, we hosted a conversation about FDR and the Transformation of the Supreme Court. Legal historian Laura Kalman, author of FDR’s Gambit: The Court Packing Fight and the Rise of Legal Liberalism; Ken Kersch, professor of political science at Boston College and...
11.29.2022
Justice William O. Douglas: Public Advocate and Conservation Champion
The Honorable Jeffrey Sutton, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, joins the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown, senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, for a discussion on McKeown’s new book, Citizen Justice:...
11.23.2022
Cicero and the Constitution
How did Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman statesman and philosopher, influence the Founding generation, the Constitution, and American political thought? Join Scott Nelson, author of Cicero, Politics, and the 21st Century; Benjamin Straumann, author of Crisis and Constitutionalism: Roman Political...
11.16.2022
The Battle for the American West
For Native American Heritage Month, the National Constitution Center presents a discussion with historians H.W. Brands, author of The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America; Lori Daggar, author of Cultivating Empire: Capitalism, Philanthropy, and the Negotiation of...
11.01.2022
Thomas Jefferson: The Reader and Writer
Historians Andrew Browning, author of Schools for Statesmen: The Divergent Educations of the Constitutional Framers; Nancy Isenberg, author of Madison and Jefferson; and Thomas Kidd, author of Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh, explore Thomas Jefferson’s life and legacy through the lens of his own education and what...
10.11.2022
Justice Stephen Breyer on the Importance of Civics Education
To conclude the National Constitution Center’s week-long celebration of Constitution Day and to celebrate the launch of our Constitution 101 course, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer (Ret.) joined Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the NCC, for a private conversation with middle and high...
10.04.2022
Election 2022: Are We Ready?
With U.S. midterm elections approaching, experts and contributors to the National Constitution Center’s Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy initiative—Edward Foley of The Ohio State University, David French of The Dispatch, and Ilya Somin of the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University and the Cato Institute—discuss election...
09.27.2022
The NCC’s Constitutional Convention Reports: The Proposed Amendments
This summer, as a continuation of the National Constitution Center’s Constitution Drafting Project, teams of leading conservative, libertarian, and progressive scholars convened for a virtual constitutional convention. After debating and deliberating together, they drafted and proposed a series of amendments to...
09.21.2022
Originalism: A Matter of Interpretation
September 17 is Constitution Day in the U.S., celebrating the day that members of the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia in 1787. As a part of the National Constitution Center’s celebrations, we hosted a panel called “Originalism: A Matter...
07.27.2022
Oligarchies, Monopolies, and the Constitution
Is the Constitution “anti-oligarchy”? What does it say about monopolies and antitrust? Legal experts Joseph Fishkin and William E. Forbath, co-authors of The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution, join law professor Katharine Jackson of the University of Dayton School of Law, and Adam White of the American Enterprise Institute, for a...
07.20.2022
Abortion Law in the U.S. and Abroad After Roe
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade and found no constitutional basis for a right to choose abortion. Teresa Stanton Collett of the University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota), David French of The Dispatch, Katherine...

What's Live at the National Constitution Center about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Live at the National Constitution Center episodes:

Justice Stephen Breyer on Reading the Constitution

Lincoln’s Lessons: Then and Now

Democracy Checkup: Preparing for the 2024 Election

The Pursuit of Happiness: A Book Launch and Conversation with Jeffrey Rosen and Jeffrey Goldberg

Following Tubman’s Trail: Unveiling Stories of the African American Quest for Freedom

Constitution Drafting Project: A Discussion of Five New Amendments

David Hume and the Ideas That Shaped America

Unpacking the Supreme Court’s Tech Term

Loyalists vs. Patriots and the American Revolution

The Taft Court: Making Law for a Divided Nation

From Spies to Leakers: The History of the Espionage Act

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Minority

What the Black Intellectual Tradition Can Teach Us About Democracy

From Founders to Politicians: Political Divisions at America’s Birth

Native Peoples and Redefining U.S. History

From FDR to Biden: The Creation of the Modern Presidency

The Forgotten Years of the Civil Rights Movement

How to Interpret the Constitution: A Citizen’s Guide

The History of Religious Liberty in America

National First Amendment Summit

2023 Annual Supreme Court Review

Montesquieu and the Constitution

The Modern History of Originalism

Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him

Deliberation and Democratic Norms in America

The State of Free Expression in the U.S. and Abroad

The Shadow Docket Debate

The Evolution of Judicial Independence in America — Part 3

The Evolution of Judicial Independence in America — Part 2

The Evolution of Judicial Independence in America — Part 1

The Future of Affirmative Action

Women and the American Idea

Solicitors General and the Supreme Court

Civic Virtue and Citizenship

The Constitutional Role of the State Solicitor General

Amendment Reform in America and Abroad

Lessons from Tocqueville in America

Slavery and Liberty at America’s Founding

Affirmative Action and the 14th Amendment

FDR and the Transformation of the Supreme Court

Justice William O. Douglas: Public Advocate and Conservation Champion

Cicero and the Constitution

The Battle for the American West

Thomas Jefferson: The Reader and Writer

Justice Stephen Breyer on the Importance of Civics Education

Election 2022: Are We Ready?

The NCC’s Constitutional Convention Reports: The Proposed Amendments

Originalism: A Matter of Interpretation

Oligarchies, Monopolies, and the Constitution

Abortion Law in the U.S. and Abroad After Roe