Pulitzer-Prize winner George F. Will, along with leading scholars Wendy Schiller, Richard Duncan, David Gans, David Schliecher, and journalists Charles C.W. Cooke and Ryan Lizza discuss the 17th Amendment, which requires the direct election of senators. The discussion will explore the Founders' vision for the Senate, the history of this century-old amendment, the question of whether it represents the death of federalism, and the debate over whether we should repeal it today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and John Aglialoro provide introductory remarks.
This program is generously sponsored by John Aglialoro.
Participants
- Introductory Remarks:
- Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
- John Aglialoro is an entrepreneur who has owned and operated a variety of businesses. Owner of the movie rights to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, Aglialoro formed Atlas Productions Ltd., to produce the movie trilogy of Rand’s best-selling novel. He is on the Board of Trustees of The Barnes Foundation Art Institute, the Museum of the American Revolution and The Atlas Society, an objectivist think-tank. He is a member of the Union League of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Club and the Chevaliers du Tastevin.
- Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
- Panel 1: Was the 17th Amendment the Death of Federalism?
- Richard Duncan is the Sherman S. Welpton, Jr. Professor of Law and Warren R. Wise Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law. He is the author of The Law and Practice of Secured Transactions: Working with Article 9. Duncan has published articles in scholarly outlets such as the Humanities and Social Sciences Review, Texas Review of Law and Politics, and the Regent Law Review.
- David Gans is director of the Human Rights, Civil Rights & Citizenship Program at the Constitutional Accountability Center. He is the co-author of Religious Liberties for Corporations?: Hobby Lobby, the Affordable Care Act, and the Constitution as well as the lead author of CAC’s Text and History Narrative Series. His academic writings have appeared in the Yale Law Journal, the Boston University Law Review, the Emory Law Journal, the George Washington Law Review, and the John Marshall Law Review. Gans has also written commentary for the L.A. Times, USA Today, the New Republic, and Slate, as well as numerous legal blogs, including Scotusblog, Balkinization, and ACS Blog.
- Wendy Schiller is professor of political science, professor of international and public affairs, and chair of the Political Science Department at Brown University. In addition to her work in academia, Schiller has served on the staffs of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Governor Mario Cuomo and held a fellowship at the Brookings Institution. Among books she has authored or co-authored are Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment, The Contemporary Congress, and Partners and Rivals: Representation in U.S. Senate Delegations. Schiller has also published articles in the American Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Studies in American Political Development, and the Journal of Politics.
- Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
- Richard Duncan is the Sherman S. Welpton, Jr. Professor of Law and Warren R. Wise Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law. He is the author of The Law and Practice of Secured Transactions: Working with Article 9. Duncan has published articles in scholarly outlets such as the Humanities and Social Sciences Review, Texas Review of Law and Politics, and the Regent Law Review.
- Panel 2: Should We Repeal the 17th Amendment?
- David Schleicher is a professor of law at Yale Law School and is an expert in election law, land use, local government law, federalism, state and local finance, municipal bankruptcy, and urban development. His work has been published widely in academic journals, including the Yale Law Journal and the University of Chicago Law Review, as well as in popular outlets like The Atlantic and Slate.
- Charles C.W. Cooke is the editor of NationalReview.com, formerly known as National Review Online. Cooke is the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto and a frequent guest on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.
- Ryan Lizza is the Chief Washington Correspondent for Politico and covers presidential campaigns, Congress, and the White House. Lizza has written about national politics, policy, and elections for Esquire, New York Magazine, GQ, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The New Republic, The New York Times, and The Atlantic. He is also a senior political analyst for CNN and has covered every presidential election and administration since 2000.
- Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
- David Schleicher is a professor of law at Yale Law School and is an expert in election law, land use, local government law, federalism, state and local finance, municipal bankruptcy, and urban development. His work has been published widely in academic journals, including the Yale Law Journal and the University of Chicago Law Review, as well as in popular outlets like The Atlantic and Slate.
- Keynote Conversation featuring George F. Will
- George F. Will writes a twice-weekly column on politics and domestic and foreign affairs for The Washington Post. He began his column with The Post in 1974, and he received the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1977. He is also a regular contributor to MSNBC and NBC News. His books include, The Conservative Sensibility; One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation; Restoration: Congress, Term Limits and the Recovery of Deliberative Democracy; among others.
- Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
- George F. Will writes a twice-weekly column on politics and domestic and foreign affairs for The Washington Post. He began his column with The Post in 1974, and he received the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1977. He is also a regular contributor to MSNBC and NBC News. His books include, The Conservative Sensibility; One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation; Restoration: Congress, Term Limits and the Recovery of Deliberative Democracy; among others.
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