The U.S. Supreme Court decides some of the most challenging and important constitutional and statutory issues facing America through its interpretive methodologies. Join a discussion exploring the various approaches to constitutional interpretation and key doctrines—including originalism, textualism, and the major questions doctrine—through the lens of recent Supreme Court cases with Solicitors General Ben Flowers of Ohio and Caroline Van Zile of Washington, D.C. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This program is presented in partnership with the Center for Excellence in Governance at the National Association of Attorneys General.
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Ben Flowers is the tenth Solicitor General of Ohio. In that role, he heads the Appeals Section of the Attorney General’s Office under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Ben has represented clients in numerous courts — including federal appellate courts, the Supreme Court of Ohio, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Ben worked at Jones Day in Columbus, Ohio. He previously served as a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States and to Judge Sandra Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Caroline Van Zile is the Solicitor General for the District of Columbia. She oversees all appeals involving the District, its administrative agencies, and its employees in their official capacities. Her work focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court, D.C. Circuit, and D.C. Court of Appeals. Prior to joining the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, she litigated appeals and handled novel legal issues as an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
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.
Additional Resources
- “The Major Questions Doctrine,” Congressional Research Service
- Steven Calabresi, “On Originalism in Constitutional Interpretation,” Constitution Daily blog
- “Textualism,” Cornell Law School: Legal Information Institute
- Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services (2021)
- Biden v. Nebraska
- Bostock v. Clayton County (2020)
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022
- Missouri v. Biden
- National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2022
- New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen (2022)
- West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (2022)
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