In recent months, many women have come forward to report sexual harassment and sexual assault by colleagues and supervisors, leading to a wave of firings, resignations, and lawsuits.
These allegations have implicated numerous high profile men, from Hollywood to Congress, and have raised a number of questions: what does the law say about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace and schools? What constitutional provisions address these issues? What are the rights of the accused? And what is the role of government in addressing these allegations?
Joining us to discuss these topics are two leading constitutional experts in these fields.
FULL PODCAST
PARTICIPANTS
Gail Heriot is Professor of Law at the University of San Diego Law School and a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She is also a contributor to our Interactive Constitution on the 19th Amendment.
Diane Rosenfeld is a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and Director, Gender Violence Program, Harvard Law School. She previously served as the served as the Senior Counsel to the Office of Violence Against Women Office of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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.” He is also a professor at The George Washington University Law School, and a contributing editor for The Atlantic.
Related Decisions and Documents
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law No. 88-352)
- Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972 (Public Law No. 92 318)
- EEOC Policy Guidance on Sexual Harassment
- Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Violence, issued by the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, April 4, 2011
- Q & A on Title IX and Sexual Violence, issued by the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, April 29, 2014
- Rescission of policy and guidance, issued by the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, September 22, 2017
- Q & A on Campus Sexual Misconduct, issued by the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, September 2017
- Opinion in Davis v. Monroe County Bd. of Ed., 526 U.S. 629 (1999), U.S. Supreme Court, May 24, 1999
- Opinion in Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986), U.S. Supreme Court, June 19, 1986
Stay Connected and Learn More
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 iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
We the People is a member of Slate’s Panoply network. Check out the full roster of podcasts at Panoply.fm.
The Constitution Center is offering CLE credits for select America’s Town Hall programs! In-person and on-demand credit is now available in Pennsylvania, with more states to come soon.
And finally, despite our congressional charter, the National Constitution Center is a private nonprofit; we receive little government support, and we rely on the generosity of people around the country who are inspired by our nonpartisan mission of constitutional debate and education. Please consider becoming a member to support our work, including this podcast.
Questions or comments? We would love to hear from you. Contact the We the People team at [email protected]
