Claim OwnershipConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
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Cathy Gillespie, and Constituting America’s Student Ambassadors – Tova Love Kaplan, Jule Gilbert and Jorne Gilbert – chat with Constitutional experts on hot-topic issues via Zoom!
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President Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the 32nd US President and was our longest serving president, having run for and won four elections to the presidency. FDR was President during two tumultuous events in US history, the Great Depression and the outbreak of World War II. Pulling a page from the Woodrow Wilson playbook, FDR expanded the administrative state even further. In what ways did FDR expand the scope and size of the federal government? Why did the American people elect him four times to the office of the presidency? What did he mean when he spoke of “bold, persistent experimentation?” To chat with our student panel on FDR, we are delighted to welcome Jim Pinkerton this week. Jim is an alumni of the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations and is currently a Senior Fellow in the Center for American Prosperity at the American First Policy Institute.
In our chat today, we are focusing on our 31st President, Herbert Hoover. Born poor to a Quaker family in Iowa in 1874, Hoover was one of the first graduates of Stanford University in 1895. He earned a fortune as a mining engineer and had business interests on 6 of 7 continents. He rose to public prominence during World War I and joined the Woodrow Wilson administration as the leader of the Food Administration. He successfully ran for President in 1928 but his administration was quickly stained by Prohibition (which he inherited from the previous administration) and the stock market crash and Great Depression. He was soundly defeated in 1932. To help our student panel grasp the policies and worldview that shaped President Hoover, we are happy to welcome Stephen Tootle, Professor of History at the College of the Sequoias, for this informative discussion.
The administrative state, the professional bureaucracy in our federal government, has not always been such a feature in how government functions. Did you know President Woodrow Wilson helped precipitate the rapid rise in that bureaucracy? How did this happen and why? What did Wilson mean when he spoke of an elastic constitution, and how does it threaten our freedom? To walk our student panel through this topic, we are delighted to have William Morrissey, Professor Emeritus at Hillsdale College, as our special guest constitutional expert.
In 1831, a 26 year-old French member of the aristocracy arrived in New York City to examine our prison system. Alexis de Tocqueville would do that and so much more. Over 9 months, he and his travel companion, Gustave de Beaumont, traveled extensively and in 1835, he published “Democracy in America.” De Tocqueville studied and answered what it took to perpetuate our political institutions, what the “habits of the American heart” are and what it means to be an American. In fact, it was De Tocqueville who coined the term American Exceptionalism. To guide our student panel as we discuss this seminal work, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Dorothea Wolfson, program director and senior lecturer in the MA in Government Program at Johns Hopkins University.
Perhaps no Founding Father exemplifies the ideal of a citizen-legislator quite like John Adams. Never a wealthy man, Adams dedicated his life and contributed greatly to our country in its infancy: as a lawyer, as a delegate to the Continental Congress, as our first Vice President and as our second President. What was the basis for Adam’s beliefs in how our country should be structured and why does our guest today argue John Adams was the greatest of our Founding Fathers? Join our student panel as we welcome C. Bradley Thompson, Professor of Political Science at Clemson University, for this informative discussion.
He was a city mayor, state representative and state senator. He was a lieutenant governor and governor. And he was a vice president and president. Today, we are discussing the accomplishments of Calvin Coolidge. He was an ardent defender of the US Constitution and fought the trend to alter and reinterpret the provisions in the Constitution. He was also a dedicated “Toquevillian.” To guide our student panel in this discussion, we are thrilled to welcome Amity Shlaes as a guest. She is the author of “Coolidge” (2013) and is the chair board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.
He was a solider, general, President and statesman. George Washington is one of those few historical figures whose real-life accomplishments live up to the legend of the man. But what was Washington’s role in crafting the document that ultimately made him President? What were his thoughts on the role of a federal government in our new country? To help us understand Washington’s mindset during this pivotal era, we are delighted to welcome Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association for this informative chat with our student panel.
During the summer before every presidential election, both major political parties host their conventions. Part of their function is to formally nominate their candidate for President. Just who are the thousands of delegates who attend? What are their duties? How are they chosen? To help us understand everything related to these conventions and delegates, we are excited to welcome back election law expert Mark Braden and our student panel for this discussion.
Back in April, we discussed the Chevron Doctrine and the power it gave to unelected officials in various agencies. This doctrine allowed agencies to rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous law. In the recent Loper Bright decision, the Supreme Court struck down this doctrine. To help our student panel understand the long term ramifications of this decision, we are delighted to welcome back Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for this timely discussion.
Back in May, we discussed a Supreme Court case that was about to be decided regarding actions local governments had taken regarding homelessness encampments in public spaces, in their cities. Late last month, the Supreme Court sided 6-3 with the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, ruling their laws did not violate the 8th amendment prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. Returning from that previous show, we are thrilled to welcome back Thomas Jipping, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, as he discusses the ramifications of this U.S. Supreme Court decision with our student panel.
As with most Supreme Court decisions, the recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity is both complex and misunderstood. The Court had to rule on what level of immunity the President has in regard to his official duties as President. This case involves a complex series of rulings from various courts but we are thankful to have returning as our guest, former US Attorney and retired Navy JAG officer Charles “Cully” Stimson. Cully will help our all-star student panel unravel the complexities of this landmark Supreme Court case.
This week we celebrate the spirit of the American people! A country’s identity is directly tied to its people. A good way to gauge the characteristics and spirit of a country’s people is to look at the country from an outsider’s perspective. That’s exactly what Alexis de Tocqueville did when he came to America in 1831. The French-born aristocrat traveled extensively around our country and in 1835 wrote of his observations and experiences in “Democracy in America.” What can we learn from his observations? Are his observations still relevant nearly 200 years later? To help us further understand the importance and relevance of de Tocqueville’s writings, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Pete Peterson, Dean of Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy, to the chat today.
When you hear the term “the American Dream” what do you think of first? Homeownership? Going to college? Having a great job? Safe communities? All are correct answers. What is amazing about that dream is that it can be unique to each of us, yet is something we all collectively enjoy in this country. Think about this. Our Constitution does not specifically mention the American Dream, but it protects the freedoms to pursue it. The American Dream did not happen by accident and our guest argues it’s largely driven by economic liberty. To find out why, join our student panel and our special guest, the Wall Street Journal’s Kimberly Strassel, for this fascinating discussion!
Our country is one of unimaginable beauty. From snow-capped mountain peaks to arid deserts to peaceful beaches, our varied landscapes have spoken to our soul as a nation for generations. Our country currently preserves 63 sites with the “national park” designation, with a total of 429 sites in the system. To help us better understand the history and significance of these locales, we are delighted to welcome two guests to our chat this week. Linda Harvey is a former Deputy Director of the National Park Service. Karla Morton is the 2010 Texas Poet Laureate and has written extensive poetry about our national parks in her book, “National Parks: A Century of Grace.”
We admit it. We are big fans of federalism. Regular listeners will understand that Constitution grants certain rights to the federal government and courtesy of the 10th amendment, remaining powers are reserved for the states. Does this mean federalism is a function of recognition of states’ rights? Our special guest argues this characterization is better suited if we view federalism as a function of decentralized and self-government as it relies on local authority. Join our guest, Dr. William B. Allen, Emeritus Professor of Political Philosophy and Dean of James Madison College at Michigan State University, and our student panel for this enlightening conversation on federalism.
As Americans, do we sometimes have a tendency to take freedom for granted? When it’s something most of us have lived with our entire lives, the answer is assuredly yes. That’s to be expected as we can’t fully comprehend what it is to live without. But ask anyone born under a dictator or totalitarian regime and they quickly remind of us of the blessings of liberty, since they once lived without it. To help remind us of this blessing of freedom, we are honored to have Ambassador Aldona Woś. Polish born, Ambassador Woś served as the US Ambassador to Estonia during the George W. Bush Administration and is currently the President of the Institute for World Politics. Her personal story is a compelling reminder that freedom is not free, nor is it permanent.
The 16th Amendment gives power to congress to “lay and collect taxes.” After all, a country has to have an ability to raise revenue. When it comes to that revenue, we have had a tradition of paying taxes on income, not the value of an investment, like paying taxes when we sell a few shares of stock in a company and not on the growth of that stock every year we own it. Those are called realized gains. There is discussion in the federal government to change that and tax unrealized gains meaning we would have to pay taxes on the increase in value in our homes or investments even before we sell that possession. The genesis of this Supreme Court case was a provision in the tax cuts package passed and signed into law in 2017 to help pay for those cuts. We know, tax code and tax law are confusing. Fortunately, to help us navigate this confusing topic, we have a very special guest with an impressive legal career. Paul Clement is the country’s former Solicitor General (the Department of Justice’s chief lawyer in front of the Supreme Court), now in private practice. He has argued more than 100 cases in front of the Supreme Court, more than any other lawyer since 2000, in or out of government.
The Constitution dictates every 10 years we undergo a Census to count how many people live in each state. Based off these population numbers, congressional seats are then apportioned. States who lost population might lose a seat and states who grew may gain a seat or two since we can only have 435 total seats in the U.S. House. This brings up an obvious question: who gets to redraw congressional districts after apportionment and can they redraw those districts for a political benefit? This is where gerrymandering comes into play. According to our guest expert, “gerrymandering” is drawing districts that are perceived to be unfair in their representation. To further complicate the issue, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 placed restrictions on how these districts are redrawn and subsequent Supreme Court decisions have further altered this process. The current Supreme Court case Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP has the potential to challenge again how districts are redrawn. It’s a complicated issue but we are grateful to have as our guest Mark Braden, an attorney with BakerHostetler who specializes in election law and voting issues to help us navigate this issue.
City Councils all across the country have been tackling an issue that has bipartisan concern: how to tackle homeless populations within their cities. Grants Pass, OR., is one such city. Grants Pass is in the middle of the Supreme Court case Johnson v. Grants Pass that is challenging that city’s ability to levy civil and criminal punishments to deter homeless encampments. A Supreme Court decision is expected this summer. To help our student panel understand the broad implications of this Supreme Court case and the “strait jacket” put on cities by lower courts to enforce their ordinances, we are delighted to welcome Thomas Jipping, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation for this timely chat.
Trial by jury and fair court proceedings bound by constitutional restraint are bedrock principles of our federal government. Imagine being charged with a crime by a federal agency except the agency handles the entire court proceedings with a judge on its payroll. The Securities and Exchange Commission was created by a 1934 act in response to the Great Depression and Stock Market Crash of 1929. In 2008, in response to the financial crisis, its powers were significantly expanded through the Dodd Frank Act. Under that legislation, the SEC was allowed to have in-house court proceedings with administrative law judges it hires. As such, prosecutorial, judicial, enforcement and punishment power is all held within a singular agency. A current Supreme Court case, SEC v. Jarkesy, is challenging that power. Join our all-star student panel and our special guest, Peggy Little, Senior Litigation Counsel with the New Civil Liberties Alliance, as we discuss this case, its ramifications and the caution George Washington gave us when he spoke against unfair quasi-courts.
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