Register for the final Scholar Exchange on Voting Rights tomorrow at 1 p.m. EDT.
In this Fun Friday session, Jamelle Bouie—New York Times columnist and political analyst for CBS News covering campaigns, elections, national affairs, and culture—joins Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to explore the history of the right to vote in America and answer audience questions.
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Explore and register for future Scholar Exchange dates.
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Constitutional Battle of the Branches (Separation of Powers)
In this final session of our election themed month of October, students focus on separation of powers and how the Constitution set up a system of checks and balances between the different branches of government. Our Constitution set up this system to ensure that no one branch of government would become too powerful, but where did this idea come from and how has this been tested over time in America? From Andrew Jackson and the battle over the country’s national bank to modern conversations around COVID-19, students will engage in a lively and fast-paced conversation.
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Part lecture and part lively conversation, sessions are open to the public so that students, teachers, and parents can join in a constitutional discussion with the Center's scholars. |
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The National Constitution Center is hosting online professional development webinars throughout the 2020–2021 school year. Sessions include a tour of the Center's exhibits, or a scholar talk, and time to collaborate with fellow educators.
Monthly sessions will focus on a specific topic, such as:
- Defining "Equal Protection"
- The Founding Documents
- First Amendment: Past and Present
- The Second Amendment
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Private Scholar Exchanges—which include your class, a scholar, and a moderator—are also available on any of the topics previously discussed in a public Scholar Exchange. Complete this survey for more information or to register your class. A member of the education team will contact you to help with the planning process.
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Classroom Exchanges connect middle and high school students across the United States for virtual discussions about the Constitution. These sessions are moderated by National Constitution Center scholars, federal judges, and master teachers, but led by student voice. Participating teachers receive lesson plans on the content of the discussion and on civil dialogue techniques, as well as educational resources from the Center's Interactive Constitution.
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This episode recaps the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, discussing what the hearings revealed about Judge Barrett’s career, her judicial philosophy, and her approach to stare decisis and constitutional interpretation including her views on originalism, and how, if confirmed, Justice Barrett might rule on legal questions including: the recent challenge to the Affordable Care Act, reproductive rights, presidential power, any disputes arising from the 2020 election, the Second Amendment, religious liberty, race and criminal justice, and more. Kate Shaw, professor at Cardozo Law School and co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny, and Michael Moreland, University Professor of Law and Religion at Villanova Law, join host Jeffrey Rosen.
Terms that will be helpful to know for this week:
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Stare decisis: Latin for “to stand by things decided”; the doctrine of precedent—adhering to prior judicial rulings.
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Originalism: A judicial philosophy of constitutional interpretation holding that the words in the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted as they were understood at the time they were written.
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“Super precedents”: Landmark Supreme Court decisions whose correctness, according to many, is no longer a viable issue for courts to decide and so are unlikely to be overturned.
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Severability: A principle by which a court might strike down one portion of a law but the remaining provisions, or the remaining applications of those provisions, will continue to remain in effect.
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The National Constitution Center's education team is here to help with any of our online resources. Email [email protected] with questions or comments on how we can help you and your students with your remote learning needs.
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