Earlier this month, President Biden voiced support for getting rid of the filibuster, looking to ease the path of voting rights legislation in Congress. But Senators Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema opposed the change. The legislation has been stalled, and debate over the filibuster runs high once again.
Joining host Jeffrey Rosen to discuss the history, constitutionality, and calls for reform of the filibuster are two of the nation’s leading experts on congressional power and practices. Josh Chafetz is a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center and author of Congress's Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers. Jay Cost is the Gerald R. Ford nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. His newest book is James Madison: America's First Politician.
FULL PODCAST
Please subscribe to We the People and Live at the National Constitution Center on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
This episode was produced by Melody Rowell Rowelland engineered by Greg Scheckler. Research was provided by Kevin Closs, Ruben Aguirre, Sam Desai, and Lana Ulrich.
PARTICIPANTS
Josh Chafetz is a Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. His books include: Congress’s Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers (2019) and Democracy's Privileged Few: Legislative Privilege and Democratic Norms in the British and American Constitutions (2007). Before working at Georgetown, he spent 12 years on the faculty at Cornell Law School.
Jay Cost is the Gerald R. Ford nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also a columnist for National Review and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His newest book is James Madison: America's First Politician.
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
- James Madison: America’s First Politician, by Jay Cost
- Congress's Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers, by Josh Chafetz
- Check out Constitution Daily’s three-part series on the filibuster
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.
SUPPORT THE PODCAST WITH MATCH OPPORTUNITY!
The National Constitution Center relies on support from listeners like you to provide nonpartisan constitutional education to Americans of all ages. In honor of the 234th anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, every dollar you give to support the We the People podcast campaign will be doubled with a generous 1:1 match up to a total of $234,000, made possible by the John Templeton Foundation!
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.
