We The People

2019: A Constitutional Year in Review

December 26, 2019

Share

2019 saw the impeachment of a president for just the third time in American history, the release of the Mueller report, and court battles over DACA, reproductive rights, and the Affordable Care Act. David French, TIME columnist and senior editor at The Dispatch, and Kate Shaw, Cardozo Law professor and ABC Legal Analyst, join host Jeffrey Rosen to review this year in constitutional debate. They give their takes on the possible long-term constitutional implications of the ongoing impeachment, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in retrospect, and how the “Kavanaugh Court” is likely to rule in a key upcoming abortion case, the battle over rescinding DACA, and the question of whether President Trump must release his financial records.

FULL PODCAST

PARTICIPANTS

David French is a senior editor for The Dispatch, a columnist at TIME, and a former senior writer at National Review. David is a bestselling author, an attorney, and the past president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Kate Shaw is a Professor of Law and the Co-Director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy at Cardozo Law. She is an ABC News Legal Analyst and host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny. Kate previously worked in the White House Counsel’s office under President Obama.

​​​​​​Jeffrey Rosen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center, the only institution in America chartered by Congress “to disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” 

Additional Resources


This episode was engineered by David Stotz and produced by Jackie McDermott. Research was provided by Lana Ulrich and Jackie McDermott.

Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Continue today’s conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.

Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.

Please subscribe to We the People and our companion podcast, Live at America’s Town Hall, on Apple PodcastsStitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

TRANSCRIPT: Download the transcript here.

This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.

Loading...

Explore Further

Podcast
America’s Most Consequential Elections: From FDR to Reagan

A conversation with authors Michael Gerhardt and Andrew Busch comparing these pivotal presidencies

Town Hall Video
America's Most Consequential Presidential Elections: From FDR to Reagan

Experts Michael Gerhardt and Andrew Busch explore the pivotal elections of 1932 and 1980. They compare the transformative…

Blog Post
Update: The final briefs before the Trump immunity case arguments

The final briefs in former President Donald Trump’s latest case at the Supreme Court have been submitted related to a former…

Educational Video
Live Classes: Slavery in America (Advanced)

In this session, students engage in a conversation on slavery in America from the Constitution to Reconstruction. This session…

Donate

Support Programs Like These

Your generous support enables the National Constitution Center to hear the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional issues at the center of American life. As a private, nonprofit organization, we rely on support from corporations, foundations, and individuals.

Donate Today

More from the National Constitution Center
Constitution 101

Explore our new 15-unit core curriculum with educational videos, primary texts, and more.

Media Library

Search and browse videos, podcasts, and blog posts on constitutional topics.

Founders’ Library

Discover primary texts and historical documents that span American history and have shaped the American constitutional tradition.

News & Debate