We the People

A weekly show of constitutional debate hosted by National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen where listeners can hear the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional issues at the center of American life.

News
History
News Commentary
226
George Washington’s Constitutional Legacy
Historians Lindsay Chervinsky and Craig Bruce Smith reflect on Washington – the good and the bad – and his constitutional legacy.
53 min
227
Civic Virtue, and Why It Matters
Reflecting on the values and the concept of “civic virtue” that the founders hoped every American would embody, and how we can return to those values, Margaret Taylor of Lawfare and Adam White of AEI join host Jeffrey Rosen.
54 min
228
An Impeachment Trial Recap
Recapping the arguments made by both sides in the impeachment trial – GW Law Professors Andrew Knaggs, who formerly served in the Trump administration, and Peter J. Smith, a former Justice Department lawyer, join host Jeffrey Rosen.
68 min
229
Will the Equal Rights Amendment be Adopted?
Explaining the latest developments in efforts to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment into the Constitution – Julie Suk and Sai Prakash join host Jeffrey Rosen.
46 min
230
School Choice and Separation of Church and State
The Supreme Court heard Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue this week. Michael Bindas of Institute for Justice and Alice O'Brien of National Education Association join host Jeffrey Rosen to explain the case.
57 min
231
The Chief, the Senate, and the Trial
Ken Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated President Clinton before his impeachment, and Joan Biskupic, CNN Supreme Court analyst and biographer of Chief Justice Roberts, predict how the Chief will preside over the trial and how disputes over procedure may play out in conversation with host Jeffrey Rosen.
35 min
232
Was the Qasem Soleimani Strike Constitutional?
War powers experts John Bellinger and Oona Hathaway grapple with the legal and constitutional controversies surrounding the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian military leader Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week –in conversation with host Jeffrey Rosen.
56 min
233
Understanding the Four Executive-Branch-Subpoen...
Four major cases currently in the courts center around subpoenas – as Congress and, separately, a state grand jury request financial documents from President Trump, and Congress seeks testimony from former White House Counsel Don McGahn. Explaining these important cases, which could have major implications for separation of powers, guests Steve Vladeck and Andy Grewal join host Jeffrey Rosen.
53 min
234
2019: A Constitutional Year in Review
David French and Kate Shaw recap the biggest constitutional debates of 2019 with host Jeffrey Rosen.
63 min
235
RBG on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sits down with Jeffrey Rosen to share invaluable life lessons, reflect on her career, and discuss Jeff’s new book Conversation with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty and Law.
70 min
236
Should President Trump Be Impeached?
Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon and some of her congressional colleagues, as well as leading constitutional scholars, share their candid thoughts on impeachment live at the National Constitution Center.
83 min
237
Is There a Constitutional Right to Transport a ...
Do gun owners have a right to travel with their firearms outside of their city or any place else? Second Amendment experts Darrell Miller and Clark Neily join host Jeffrey Rosen to discuss that question at the center of a c ase just heard by the Supreme Court.
57 min
238
What Would Madison Think of the Presidency Today?
Tracing the history of the American presidency and exploring the biggest controversy surrounding it today – impeachment – scholars Sean Wilentz and Sai Prakash join host Jeffrey Rosen.
61 min
239
Dueling Platform Policies and Free Speech Online
Twitter has decided to ban paid political advertising, while Facebook has not– will either policy have unintended consequences for free speech principles online? Digital speech experts Ellen Goodman of Rutgers University Law School and Eugene Volokh of UCLA Law join host Jeffrey Rosen to discuss.
64 min
240
Can the Trump Administration End DACA?
The Trump administration’s decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is being challenged at the Supreme Court, and argument was held earlier this week. Brianne Gorod and Josh Blackman join host Jeffrey Rosen to explore those challenges.
49 min
241
Conversations with RBG
Host Jeffrey Rosen unveils his new book Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law in a live interview with Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick.
68 min
242
Is Brexit a British Constitutional Crisis?
Joining us from London, two experts on Brexit – Meg Russell of University College London and Kim Lane Scheppele of Princeton – explain its impact on the UK Constitution.
59 min
243
What Does the Constitution Say About Impeachment?
Detailing the process for impeachment set out by the Constitution – host Jeffrey Rosen is joined by former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, who served on the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment, and Gene Healy of the Cato Institute.
65 min
244
Can Employees Be Fired for Being LGTBQ?
Employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is at the center of three cases that were argued at the Supreme Court last week; Karen Loewy, Senior Counsel for Lambda Legal, and Professor David Upham of the University of Dallas explain the arguments on both sides of these cases in conversation with host Jeffrey Rosen.
54 min
245
Two Federal Judges on How They Interpret the Co...
Chief Judge Diane Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the 6th Circuit debate how the Constitution should be interpreted and discuss their experiences as Supreme Court clerks, and more, in conversation with host Jeffrey Rosen.
55 min
246
We the People Live: Supreme Court 2019 Term Pre...
This week, We the People partnered with SCOTUSblog's podcast SCOTUStalk for a Supreme Court preview, recorded live at the National Constitution Center. Host Jeffrey Rosen was joined by SCOTUSblog's Amy Howe and John Elwood.
59 min
247
The Battle for the Constitution: Live at The At...
This week, the National Constitution Center in partnership with The Atlantic launched a new web project: “The Battle for the Constitution”— a year-long exploration of the major issues and controversies surrounding the Constitution today from all sides of the debate. At the Atlantic Ideas Festival on September 25, the NCC and the Atlantic celebrated the launch with a series of panels featuring scholars, journalists and legislators.
97 min
248
Justice Neil Gorsuch, Live at America’s Town Hall
Justice Gorsuch discusses civics and civility, the importance of separation of powers, what originalism means to him, and why he is optimistic about the future of America with NCC President Jeffrey Rosen.
62 min
249
Madison vs. Mason
Profiling two Virginian Founding Fathers and parsing the differences between their constitutional visions – scholars Colleen Sheehan and Jeff Broadwater join host Jeffrey Rosen.
60 min
250
When Should Judges Issue Nationwide Injunctions?
What are nationwide injunctions, and are they constitutional? Two experts on nationwide injunctions, Amanda Frost of American University’s Washington College of Law and Howard Wasserman of Florida International University Law School, join host Jeffrey Rosen to dive into those questions.
49 min