FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Annie Stone, 703-217-1169 [email protected]
Merissa Blum, 215-370-0387 [email protected]
NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER ANNOUNCES NEW AMERICA’S TOWN HALL PROGRAMS FOR WINTER 2022
Speakers include The New York Times’ Adam Liptak, Human Rights Foundation’s Garry Kasparov, and election law experts Charles C.W. Cooke, Edward B. Foley, Michael T. Morley, and Dawn Teele
Topics include India and America’s constitutions, the First Amendment, election integrity and voting rights, and the original meaning of the 14th Amendment
Philadelphia, PA (January 21, 2022) – Today, the National Constitution Center released a lineup of new programs as part of its America’s Town Hall series of constitutional conversations and debates. Programs are free to the public and will be held online via Zoom and YouTube.
On February 15, the National Constitution Center and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, as part of their ongoing conversations about how to restore the guardrails of American democracy, present a conversation exploring recent proposals to protect the integrity of our election process. National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke, Ohio State University’s Edward B. Foley, Florida State University Law’s Michael T. Morley, and SNF Agora Institute’s Dawn Teele debate the merits of legislation pending in Congress and the states.
Below is a full list of online programs, including a conversation in February on early presidents and how they shaped the presidency in honor of Presidents Day. Additional programs to be added. Up-to-date program information is available at constitutioncenter.org/debate.
Upcoming America’s Town Hall programming:
India and America: A Constitutional Dialogue
Tuesday, January 25, 11 a.m. ET
Free Online
How are the U.S. and Indian constitutions alike—and how do they differ? Two leading Indian constitutional law experts and senior advocates at the Supreme Court of India—Arvind Datar and Menaka Guruswamy—and American comparative law expert Tom Ginsburg of the University of Chicago Law School, discuss the similarities and differences between the U.S. and Indian constitutions and explore the biggest constitutional issues currently facing both nations. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program is presented in partnership with the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
The First Amendment and the Censor’s Dilemma
Thursday, February 3, 12 p.m. ET
Free Online
Adam Liptak, New York Times Supreme Court reporter, and Nadine Strossen, free speech expert and author of HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, join leading First Amendment lawyer Robert Corn-Revere to explore the efforts at censoring unpopular speech throughout American history as described in Corn-Revere’s latest book, The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Rule of Law in America and Abroad: A Comparative View
Wednesday, February 9, 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
The National Constitution Center and Renew Democracy Initiative present a discussion exploring how the rule of law is protected in constitutional systems around the world—including the United States—and how to ensure its survival when threatened by modern challenges. What happens to constitutions when legal and political norms are violated, and how can we defend rule of law and ensure that our civic institutions remain strong? The panel will feature a unique set of perspectives, including both foreign dissidents who have risked their lives to fight for freedom in their home countries—Garry Kasparov, chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, and Judge Claudia Escobar, Guatemalan whistleblower and former magistrate of the Court of Appeals of Guatemala—and legal experts Robert P. George and Kim Lane Scheppele of Princeton University. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program is presented in partnership with the Renew Democracy Initiative and the SNF Paideia Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Election Integrity and Voting Rights: Should We Rewrite the Rules?
Tuesday, February 15, 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
The National Constitution Center and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, as part of their ongoing conversations about how to restore the guardrails of American democracy, present a conversation exploring recent proposals to protect the integrity of our election process. Charles C.W. Cooke, senior writer at National Review; Edward B. Foley, professor and director of the election law program at Ohio State University; Michael T. Morley, professor at Florida State University Law; and Dawn Teele, SNF Agora Institute associate professor of political science, debate the merits of legislation pending in Congress and the states. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program is presented in partnership with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University as part of the National Constitution Center’s Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy initiative, and made possible with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and Mike and Jackie Bezos.
Early Presidents and How They Shaped the Presidency
Monday, February 28, 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
The legacies of Thomas Jefferson as “author” of the Declaration of Independence and James Madison as the “Father of the Constitution” are well known, but their legacies as president, among those of other early presidents as well, tend to be forgotten. Presidential historians, including Lindsay Chervinsky, discuss America’s first presidents and how they shaped the office as we know it today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Elections, Speech, and Political Disinformation
Thursday, March 10, 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
What are the leading proposals to combat election disinformation and are they consistent with the First Amendment? Richard L. Hasen, leading election law expert and author of Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics—and How to Cure It; Catherine Ross, free speech expert and author of A Right to Lie? Presidents, Other Liars, and the First Amendment; and others discuss. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Coming this winter:
he 14th Amendment and Its Original Meaning
Free Online
The 14th Amendment has been cited in more Supreme Court cases—from Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education to Roe v. Wade and Bush v. Gore—than any other amendment. Yet, there has been an ongoing debate over its meaning and interpretation since its ratification in 1868. Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick, authors of The Original Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment, join Kurt Lash, author of The Reconstruction Amendments: The Essential Documents, and others for a definitive analysis of the origins, evolution, and future of the amendment. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
The National Constitution Center’s America’s Town Hall series features distinguished leaders, scholars, authors, and journalists who speak on the most significant constitutional topics of our time. The Center’s online America’s Town Hall programs are free. Viewers can register for the Zoom sessions at constitutioncenter.org/debate or watch from youtube.com/ConstitutionCenter. Archived America’s Town Hall programs can be found on the Interactive Constitution at constitutioncenter.com/interactive-constitution/media-library.
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About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
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About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
