Your Weekly Constitutional

Is the Federal Reserve constitutional?

What is the Fed, anyway? And does it have too much power? Who are those guys?

We'll talk to United States Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, one of the Fed's leading critics. We'll also talk to economist Allan Meltzer, author of "A History of the Federal Reserve."

This episode is money.

California says it's legal. The Feds say it's not.

What's a poor Californian to do?

We talk to Steve DeAngelo, star of the Discovery Channel's reality program, Weed Wars, and to Tamara Todd, an attorney who specializes in drug law and the constitutional questions that arise when the states and the federal government follow different drug policies.

The Supremes get to decide the fate of the new federal health care statute, but the rest of us can talk about it, too. We've assembled several knowledgeable and articulate people, including a doctor, other health care professionals, a couple of law professors, and even the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli. There are lots of insights and lots of opinions, all of which makes for a learned and lively discussion.

We've got a new partner, and a new format!

The new partner is the Home of the Constitution, James Madison's Montpelier, where the Father of the Constitution spent most of his life, and where he designed many of the basic principles of our Constitution.

The new format includes new features, such as the Madison Minute, where each week we'll explore some aspect of James Madison's life, family or thought. It also includes This Week at Montpelier, where we'll discuss the many fascinating things happening all the time at the Home of the Constitution, from archaeology to wine tasting. And you'll notice increased technical quality, especially on the Constitutional Quiz with our Quiz Lady, Kelly Carmichael.

But the basic focus of the show hasn't changed. We'll still take a major constitutional topic each week and talk with knowledgeable people about it. If it's controversial, we'll try to get all sides.

So think of it as Your Weekly Constitutional, Version 2.0. Take a listen and let us know what you think.

Join us as we put Jesus of Nazareth on trial for his life. Professor Mark Osler and Public Defender Jeanne Bishop present the Trial of Christ at Carson-Newman College with your host, Stewart Harris, as the presiding judge. It's not your standard death penalty debate.

Ever read the Constitution straight through? You really should. It doesn't take that long, and you'll encounter some interesting and surprising things along the way. Did you know, for example, that there is a clause devoted to, of all things, Weights and Measures? And another devoted to Marques of Reprisal? We talk to Jay Wexler, who tells us all about it.

The Plots Against the President.

We'll talk to award-winning author Sally Denton about the left-wing assassination attempt on Franklin Roosevelt just before he took office, and the right-wing conspiracy to replace him with a fascist dictator.

Whaaa????

Yup, they really happened.

Join us for an in-depth tour of James Madison's mansion and estate. We'll scrape away the paint and look behind the walls. We'll even dig up the grounds and rummage around in the foundations. There's a lot of constitutional history here, from Madison's time through the Civil War, the Gilded Age and even including Jim Crow. It's a fascinating journey.

We promised that we'd go back, and now we have. And you can come with us. We'll hear more about the detective work involved in the restoration of James Madison's mansion. We'll also find out how archaeologists are unearthing (literally) hundreds of years of constitutional history at Montpelier, from the Founding Era to Jim Crow. C'mon - let's get diggin'.

Former Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi is only the latest in a long line of chief executives to issue a heapin' helpin' of pardons just before leaving office -- Richard Nixon, anyone? Anyone? -- How could he do such a thing? How have U.S. Presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama, exercised the remarkable Pardon Power?