September 17 is Constitution Day in the United States celebrating the day that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia in 1787. As a part of the National Constitution Center’s 2022 celebrations, we hosted a panel live at the NCC in Philadelphia called “Originalism: A Matter of Interpretation.” Emily Bazelon of The New York Times Magazine, Rich Lowry of the National Review, Steven Mazie of The Economist, and Ilan Wurman of Arizona State University joined host Jeffrey Rosen to discuss whether the Constitution should be interpreted according to its original meaning, and if the Supreme Court is consistent in applying principles of originalism in its decisions.
This program was produced in partnership with the National Review Institute.
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, Lana Ulrich and engineered by the NCC's A/V team. Research was provided by Sophia Gardell.
Participants
Emily Bazelon is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and the Truman Capote Fellow for Creative Writing and Law at Yale Law School. She is the bestselling author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, and Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy. She is a cohost of Slate's Political Gabfest.
Rich Lowry is the editor-in-chief of National Review. He writes for Politico, and often appears on such public-affairs programs as Meet the Press. He is a regular panelist on the KCRW program Left, Right & Center. He is the author of Lincoln Unbound, The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free, and Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years.
Steven Mazie is the Supreme Court correspondent for The Economist and teaches political science at Bard Early College. He’s the author of American Justice 2015: The Dramatic Tenth Term of the Roberts Court.
Ilan Wurman is an associate professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he teaches administrative law and constitutional law. He writes primarily on the 14th Amendment, administrative law, separation of powers, and constitutionalism. He is the author of A Debt Against the Living: An Introduction to Originalism, and The Second Founding: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Amendment.
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
- Emily Bazelon, "How Will Trump's Supreme Court Remake America?" The New York Times
- Rich Lowry, "Democrats Have No Reason to Worry About Biden's SCOTUS Pick," Politco
- Rich Lowry, "There Are Certain Things the Supreme Court Can't Settle," Politico
- The Economist, "America's Supreme Court faces a crisis of legitimacy"
- The Economist, "America tussles over a newly fashionable constitutional theory"
- Ilan Wurman, A Debt Against the Living: An Introduction to Originalism
- Ilan Wurman, "What is originalism? Did it underpin the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion and guns? Debunking the myths," The Conversation
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.
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.
