SPRING/SUMMER 2016 AMERICA’S TOWN HALL Timely constitutional conversations uniting thought leaders from all sides of the debate CNN’s Barbara Starr discusses leadership with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Independence Mall 525 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 constitutioncenter.org/debate LETTER FROM THE CEO Dear Friends, I’m thrilled to share with you the Spring/Summer 2016 calendar for America’s Town Hall at the National Constitution Center! Every day, as news from the election and the Supreme Court unfolds, our mission to WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 bring together the leading voices on all sides of the constitutional debates at the center of American life — becomes more salient than ever. As we head into the presidential election our new season has a special focus on the presidency. We’ll tackle the question of executive power The National Constitution Center’s second annual Freedom Day will in a debate with Intelligence Squared on June 8 and we’ll explore the explore how our freedoms of speech and expression are exercised, constitutional legacy of the presidents with programs like Jacob Weisberg threatened, and protected. on Reagan and The Presidency of George Washington during the Democratic National Convention in July. DAYTIME ACTIVITIES AT THE CENTER As we mourn the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, we will } Harlan Institute-ConSource Supreme Court Debate Championship discuss his significant constitutional legacy and the ongoing constitutional } Judge Chats battle over his successor. And in addition to those timely programs, we are } Interactive Constitution Workshops looking forward to conversations about the 150th anniversary of the 14th } Living News Amendment on May 10 and an event with marriage equality plaintiff Jim } Freedom Day Talkback Wall Obergefell on his new book, Love Wins. The second annual Freedom Day on April 13 will feature discussions on the future of online free speech co-sponsored by EVENING SYMPOSIUM AT THE CENTER Facebook. And on the road, we launch our Honorary Congressional Scholars Invite-only program from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. with reception to follow. Program in Washington D.C. on April 25 with new National Constitution Center See program listing on the next page for details. Honorary Scholars, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Mike Lee (R-UT). IN THE CLASSROOM The Center is a private nonprofit whose inspiring work is made possible by our Members. That’s why the greatest access and discounted admission to Partners including ConSource, the Bill of Rights Institute, the Civics our Town Hall programming comes with membership. Please join us for as Renewal Network, and Annenberg Classroom, will distribute K-12 many of these wonderful programs as possible, at the Center document based lesson plans and activities to classrooms across the or online at constitutioncenter.org. country. ON CAMPUS With appreciation, Campus groups throughout the country will host Freedom Day events including watch parties for the evening symposium live streamed from Jeffrey Rosen the Center, discussions on this year’s topics, and debates. President & CEO National Constitution Center FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit constitutioncenter.org/freedom-day or contact Kate Maloney at 215.409.6664 or [email protected]. GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! SPRING/SUMMER PROGRAMS Call 215.409.6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org/debate. Jacob Weisberg David Cole MONDAY MONDAY The Legacy of Ronald Reagan APRIL 18 How Citizen Activists Can Make APRIL 4 $7 Members, teachers & students • $15 public Constitutional Law 6:30 P.M. Free for 1787 Members 6:30 P.M. $7 Members, teachers & students • $15 public Political journalist Jacob Weisberg provides a bracing Free for 1787 Members portrait of America’s 40th president, offering a fresh psychological Who makes our most fundamental laws? Many would answer the interpretation of the conservative icon who reshaped American politics. Supreme Court, but award-winning legal scholar David Cole disagrees. Join Cole as he sheds light on a vital, yet often overlooked, driver of constitutional change: ordinary citizens. The History and Future of the MONDAY Criminal Justice Act APRIL 11 James Traub $7 Members, teachers & students • $15 public THURSDAY The Militant Spirit of John Quincy Adams Free for 1787 Members 6:30 P.M. APRIL 21 Free Top scholars and judges come together to discuss one of the most Journalist and foreign policy expert James Traub unveils significant pieces of legislation concerning the federal criminal 12 P.M. his essential biography on the life and complex political justice system, the Criminal Justice Act, establishing the right to career of America’s sixth president — from his upbringing as the son counsel in federal court under the Constitution’s Sixth Amendment. of Founding Father John Adams to his death on the floor of the House In partnership with the Committee to Review the Criminal Justice Act Program of Representatives. Second Annual Freedom Day Symposium Randy Barnett WEDNESDAY TUESDAY Our Republican Constitution Invite-only • Watch the live stream at constitutioncenter.org APRIL 13 APRIL 26 $7 Members, teachers & students • $15 public Speakers include: David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group, Monika Free for 1787 Members 4:30 P.M. Bickert of Facebook, Susan Herman of the ACLU, Eric Posner of the 6:30 P.M. University of Chicago Law School, Greg Lukianoff of FIRE, Brendan Since the earliest days of the American republic, “We the O’Neill of Spiked, Catherine Ross of George Washington University People” has been viewed both as individuals and as a group, leading to Law School, Geoffrey Stone of the University of Chicago Law School, two different visions of the Constitution. Renowned legal scholarRandy Adam Liptak of the New York Times, among others. Barnett is joined by constitutional scholar Gillian Metzger to explain the origins of this central debate about the meaning of America. Fergus Bordewich THURSDAY How Madison, Washington, and The Constitutional Legacy of MONDAY APRIL 14 a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented Justice Antonin Scalia MAY 2 12 P.M. the Government Free for Members • $7 teachers & students Free 6:30 P.M. $15 public Prize-winning author Fergus Bordewich tells the little-known dramatic Join us for a reflection on Justice Scalia and the future of story of the First Congress of 1789-1791, which created America. constitutional interpretation with three of the late Justice’s former law clerks: Steven Calabresi of Northwestern University School of Law, Lee Otis of the Federalist Society, and Kevin Walsh of the University of Richmond School of Law. GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! SPRING/SUMMER PROGRAMS Call 215.409.6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org/debate. The History and Legacy of the 14th Amendment The Next Supreme Court Confirmation Battle TUESDAY THURSDAY Free for Members • $7 teachers & students $7 Members, teachers & students • $15 public MAY 10 $15 public MAY 26 Free for 1787 Members 6:30 P.M. As part of our Second Founding celebration of the 150th anniversary 6:30 P.M. Former federal appeals judge, Timothy Lewis, and law professors of the Reconstruction Amendments, join us for a discussion on the Josh Blackman, Neil Siegel, and David Strauss assess the Supreme history and enduring relevance of the 14th Amendment. Participants Court confirmation process and the debate over President Obama’s include Allen Guelzo, Gerard Magliocca, Theodore Shaw, and Judges nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the High Court. Janice Rogers Brown, Bernice Donald, and Theodore McKee. In partnership with Jeffrey Rosen WEDNESDAY Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet JUNE 1 Karen Korematsu & Kermit Roosevelt Free for Members • $7 teachers & students THURSDAY The Tragedy of Japanese Internment 6:30 P.M. $15 public MAY 12 Reception On the 100th anniversary of Justice Brandeis’ confirmation to Free Included the Supreme Court, don’t miss a conversation with Center President Jeffrey 1 P.M. In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, University of Pennsylvania Law Professor Rosen about his new book, Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet, followed Kermit Roosevelt is joined by Karen Korematsu, founder of the Fred by light fare. Joining Rosen to discuss Brandeis’s enduring relevance are Korematsu Civil Rights Fund and daughter of the civil rights activist, leading Brandeis scholars Philippa Strum and Melvin Urofsky. to discuss Roosevelt’s latest novel, Allegiance. In partnership with The Presidents and the Constitution MONDAY Sidney Blumenthal & Sean Wilentz A Living History MONDAY MAY 16 Free The Hidden History of American Politics JUNE 6 Free 12 P.M. The nation’s foremost experts on the American presidency and the U.S. Constitution, Michael Gerhardt, 12 P.M. Former political aide Sidney Blumenthal and prominent historian Ken Gormely, Barbara Perry, and Kenneth Starr explain how each Sean Wilentz explore the role party politics has played in America’s American president has confronted and shaped the Constitution. enduring struggle against economic inequality, as seen through pivotal figures such as Thomas Paine, Abraham Lincoln, and W.E.B. Du Bois. Kevin Seamus Hasson MONDAY How We Came to Be One Nation Under God Intelligence Squared U.S. Debate WEDNESDAY MAY 23 Free Has the President Usurped Congressional Power? 12 P.M. Kevin Seamus Hasson, founder of the Becket Fund JUNE 8 $20 Members, teachers & students • $25 public for Religious Liberty, looks at the debates over the 6:30 P.M. Free for 1787 Members Exhibit relationship between church and state