Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Court with lifetime appointments.  They decide the most pressing issues of federal law.  Did you know the Court regularly receives over 7,000 annual petitions for a case to be heard, but only accepts 60-70 cases per year?  Did you know the 9 justices get to decide which cases they hear?  Did you know the justices employ a few dozen law clerks to help them work through their caseload? Our guest today has the incredible accomplishment of clerking for not just one Supreme Court Justice but two, and a third justice before he was elevated to the Supreme...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Regular followers of Constituting America understand the importance of this passage from the Declaration of Independence and our natural rights: rights given to us by God that can never be taken away.  But take this a step further and you see how these inalienable rights begin to create our system of justice.  Without natural rights, rights become merely a privilege...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Our federal government is divided into three branches and each branch has certain powers over the others.  We identify this as separation of powers and checks and balances.  What if all three powers were held in one set of hands?  That government would be the definition of tyranny.  Our founders knew government is both necessary and very dangerous so they created this system so today we can ensure equal protection of equal rights for all citizens.  We are delighted to welcome Dr. Thomas Krannawitter, President of Speak Easy Ideas, and our all-star student panel for...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

The United States Supreme Court has various depictions of Lady Justice in and around the building.  These depictions portray her with three items: a blindfold, scales and a sword.  The blindfold and scales suggest the use of reason and logic in judicial judgement.  The sword suggests the strength to carry out that judgement.  Have you wondered how the concept of an independent judiciary furthers the separation of powers because one branch of government cannot be the judge in its own case?  To elaborate further on these fascinating themes, we are delighted to have...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Regular followers of Constituting America understand our appreciation for the Declaration of Independence as one of the most groundbreaking documents ever written.  Did you know this document was crafted as a logical argument listing both major and minor premises against the Crown making the case for colonial independence?  It also illustrates three levels of justice: natural law, legal justice and what can best be described as justice related to conscience.  Joining our all-star student panel, we are excited to have William Morrisey, former Professor at Hillsdale College...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

John Adams wrote, “Liberty can no more exist without virtue and independence than the body can live and move without a soul.”  To understand the need for civic duty, one must fully grasp civic virtue and to fully grasp civic virtue, one must have a civic education.  Understanding the hows and whys of our governmental system is vital in knowing how we can best participate and contribute to that structure.  We are excited to have Charles “Cully” Stimson, USN, Retired, returning as our special guest with our all-star student panel for this exciting and...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Not very long ago, the circumstances to which you were born largely dictated the path your life took.  If you were born into the aristocracy, you likely died the same way.  If you were born into poverty, you likely died the same way.  The United States ushered in a new era of thinking: meritocracy.  It is this notion that a people should rise and fall based on their achievements and not the circumstances of their birth or membership in a social class.  We take this for granted today, but this was a novel idea in the late 18th century. So what...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

American sovereignty is such a fundamental ideal in the American experiment that it’s mentioned in both the opening and closing of the Declaration of Independence.  Succinctly, sovereignty is the power to do something and shapes our ability as a people through our elected representatives to make decisions that are best for us.  Why were the Founders so concerned with sovereignty?  Why was it so necessary not just to win it but maintain it?  We are pleased to have our student panel joined by returning guest Christopher C. Burkett, Director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

The Declaration of Independence so eloquently laid out “charges” against the Crown  - detailing why independence was necessary.  The test of the Constitution is whether or not it serves the goals and aims of the Declaration of Independence.  In the Constitution, the Founders had to strike the proper balance of liberty and order as our new nation was leaving an oppressive government behind while at the same time providing stability for its citizens.  In order to accomplish this lofty objective, our Founders needed to empower government but at the same...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

What can history teach us?  Well…everything!  Our Founding generation understood history and studied it when creating the framework for our country.  From ancient city-states to the fall of empires, our Founders looked at what did and did not work in past governments.  One can argue our current government, this great experiment in self-governing is an amalgamation of previous forms, choosing the best traits but leaving out the worst.  Joining our all-star panel, we are pleased to have returning Joe Loconte, Senior Fellow at the Institute on Religion and Democracy and...