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We the People: Daily Summaries Delivered
by National Constitution Center
A weekly show from the National Constitution Center hosted by Julie Silverbrook and Tom Donnelly where listeners can hear the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional issues at the center of American life.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago1h 5m
Can Article V Conventions Advance Constitutional Reform?
Article V of the U.S. Constitution establishes two methods for proposing constitutional amendments: a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress or a convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures. Although all 27 ratified amendments have been proposed by Congress, and no Article V convention has ever been called, the convention process remains an alternative path to constitutional reform. In this episode, Lawrence Lessig of Harvard Law School and David A. Super of Georgetown University Law Center debate whether Article V conventions offer a necessary alternative to a politically gridlocked Congress or pose unacceptable risks to the constitutional order. They examine the history and purpose of Article V conventions, current movements to amend the Constitution, concerns about a runaway convention, and potential safeguards to ensure democratic accountability. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources VthePeople, Harvard Law School “Debating another way to change the Constitution,” Rebecca Beyer, Harvard Law Today, Oct. 6, 2026 “Making an Article V Convention Safe for Democracy,” Lawrence Lessig, New York Review, April 17, 2023 “A constitutional convention is the last thing America needs,” David A. Super, Los Angeles Times, March 15, 2017 Article V, Interactive Constitution, National Constitution Center Article V: Amending the Constitution, National Constitution Center Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
- 2 weeks ago47 min
David O. Stewart on The Democracy We Must Keep
Historian David O. Stewart joins to discuss his latest book, The Democracy We Must Keep, which examines the foundational ideas in nine key founding-era documents that shaped America's constitutional democracy. Stewart discusses how the founders sought to create a government strong enough to govern but constrained enough to protect liberty, the compromises and debates that shaped the Constitution, and the warnings about political parties and factionalism in Washington’s Farewell Address and Jefferson’s First Inaugural. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources David O. Stewart, The Democracy We Must Keep: Seven Founders, Nine Documents, and The Ideas That Shaped America, (2026) “The Fragility of Self-Government,” The Civic Decade (October 14, 2026) Interactive Constitution, National Constitution Center Interactive Declaration of Independence, National Constitution Center George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796), National Constitution Center Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address (1801), National Constitution Center Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
- 3 weeks ago1h 0m
Previewing the Supreme Court’s 2026-2027 Term
The National Constitution Center previews the Supreme Court’s 2026-2027 term. Masha Hansford, partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, and Greg Stohr, Supreme Court reporter for Bloomberg News, join to break down the biggest cases on the docket, unpack the constitutional questions at stake, and explore the issues that could have the biggest impact on the Court in the year ahead. Tom Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources New Supreme Court term features First Amendment, other challenges, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, October 2, 2026 Supreme Court to start new term with major environmental case, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, September 29, 2026 Supreme Court asked to rule on federal ban on home production of distilled spirits, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, September 25, 2026 Supreme Court asked to consider dispute over religious use of public park, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, September 9, 2026 Supreme Court allows Trump voting executive order to move forward pending challenges, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, August 25, 2026 Ten Commandments school dispute heading to the Supreme Court, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, August 19, 2026 Climate change lawsuit to kick off Supreme Court’s next term, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, August 6, 2026 A new Eighth Amendment controversy heads to the Supreme Court, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, July 22, 2026 Four cases to watch in the Supreme Court’s next term, Scott Bomboy for Constitution Daily, July 15, 2026 Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
- Oct 1, 202646 min
Frederick Douglass and Free Speech
Frederick Douglass is remembered as one of the most powerful orators in American history, a leading voice for abolition, and an extraordinary champion of equal rights. He was also one of the 19th century’s most important thinkers about freedom of speech. For Douglass, free speech was not simply a constitutional protection against government censorship. It was a fundamental human right, an indispensable weapon in the struggle against slavery, and an essential condition of equal citizenship and self-government. In this episode, scholar Jacob Mchangama examines Douglass’s remarkably expansive understanding of free speech, drawing on a new research project that examines hundreds of his speeches, writings, and letters. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources The Future of Free Speech, Jacob Mchangama Frederick Douglass Free Speech Corpus, Jacob Mchangama “Free Speech in a Changing World,” We the People (July 30, 2026) Jacob Mchangama, Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media (2022) Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff, The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom (2026) Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition, National Constitution Center First Amendment: Speech and Press Clauses, National Constitution Center Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
- Sep 24, 20261h 4m
The Past, Present, and Future of the Second Amendment
In this episode, Joseph Blocher of Duke University School of Law and Clark Neily of the Cato Institute trace the ongoing debates over the Second Amendment. They analyze recent Supreme Court decisions on this key provision, preview a case on the Court’s docket this term, and look ahead to the issues on the horizon. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources The Second Amendment, Interpretation & Debate, National Constitution Center District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) Supreme Court Cases Library, National Constitution Center McDonald v. Chicago (2010) New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen (2022) United States v. Rahimi (2024) “No earthquake, but did the Supreme Court shift a bit in its approach to guns?,” NCC’s Constitution Daily blog, (June 24, 2024) United States v. Hemani (2025) “Supreme Court rules in favor of man facing gun ban for using marijuana,” NCC's Constitution Daily blog, (June 18, 2026) Josephe Blocher and David Pozen, “The Excluded Middle of Law: Constitutional Drivers of Extremism in Gun and Drug Policy,” Duke Law School 2026 Supreme Court Review (forthcoming) Wilford v. Lopez (2025) “Supreme Court strikes down Hawaii law regulating firearms possession,” NCC's Constitution Daily blog, (June 25, 2026) Brief of the Cato Institute as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioners, Viramontes v. Cook County Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
- Sep 17, 20261h 4m
William Magnuson on The Just and the Good: How Law Made the Western World
In this special Constitution Day episode, author William Magnuson discusses his latest book, The Just and the Good: How Law Made the Western World, which is a sweeping tour of the history of the law. He explores how the pillars of the rule of law were built—from the courts of ancient Athens to the United States Constitution, to Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitutional Center, moderates. Resources William Magnuson, The Just and the Good: How Law Made the Western World (2026) Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
- Sep 10, 20261h 11m
The State of Free Speech in 2026
Geoffrey Stone of the University of Chicago Law School and Eugene Volokh, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and UCLA School of Law, discuss the First Amendment and the rapidly evolving speech landscape—from social media and artificial intelligence to college campuses and the press. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitutional Center, moderates. Resources Moody v. NetChoice, LLC (2024) “What is Section 230?,” We the People (June 4, 2020) Citizen United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) National Constitution Center, Supreme Court Case Library “Meta reaches landmark $18 billion settlement with states in trial over teen social media addiction,” Associated Press (Aug 26, 2026) Free Speech Coalition, INC v. Paxton (2025) Ashcroft v. ACLU (2004) NRA v. Vullo (2024) “Scaling Laws: Eugene Volokh: Navigating Libel and Liability in the AI Age,” Lawfare (July 17, 2025) New York Times Company v. Sullivan (1964) National Constitution Center, Supreme Court Case Library Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. (1974) Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
- Sep 3, 202639 min
Mary Sarah Bilder on the Origins of the Bill of Rights
In this episode, Mary Sarah Bilder, Founders Professor at Boston College Law School, explores the history of rights and liberties in America and the origins of the Bill of Rights. She traces how ideas about rights developed before, during, and after the American Revolution, shaped debates over the Constitution, and ultimately led to the adoption of the first 10 amendments. She also explores how those amendments came to be known collectively as the Bill of Rights and gained the significance they have today. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources “The Blessings of Liberty and Bills of Rights,” by Mary Sarah Bilder for the National Constitution Center Bill of Rights Resources, National Constitution Center The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals, (2026) Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
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About We the People
A weekly show from the National Constitution Center hosted by Julie Silverbrook and Tom Donnelly where listeners can hear the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional issues at the center of American life.
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