PODCAST · news
We the People
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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634
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 [email protected]. 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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633
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 [email protected]. 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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632
Chatrie and the Future of the Fourth Amendment
In a recent decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that law enforcement’s use of a geofence warrant, which collected identity and location data from mobile phone users, violated the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Professor Orin S. Kerr of Stanford University unpacks the decision in Chatrie v. United States and explores what it means for the future of the Fourth Amendment, privacy, and government surveillance in the digital age. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources Orin S. Kerr, “The Fourth Amendment After Chatrie,” Stanford Law Working Paper Series (Aug 12, 2026) Orin S. Kerr, The Digital Fourth Amendment: Privacy and Policing in Our Online World (2025) The Fourth Amendment, National Constitution Center Chatrie v. United States (2026) Case v. Montana (2026) Carpenter v. United States (2018) Riley v. California (2014) United States v. Knotts (1983) United States v. Leon (1984) Mapp v. Ohio (1961) Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email [email protected]. 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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631
Fergus Bordewich on Centennial and the Great Fair of 1876
In this episode, prize-winning author and historian Fergus M. Bordewich discusses his latest book, Centennial: The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America’s Future, which explores the story of the nation’s 100th birthday and the first world’s fair. Bordewich traces the lives of President Rutherford B. Hayes, the inventor Alexander Graham Bell, railroad magnate Tom Scott, and the African American sculptor Edmonia Lewis—revealing a country striving to live up to the promise of the founders while bracing for the tidal wave of the 20th century. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitutional Center, moderates. Resources Fergus M. Bordewich, Centennial: The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America’s Future (2026) Fergus M. Bordewich, Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction (2023) Fergus M. Bordewich, Congress at War: How Republican Reformers Fought the Civil War, Defied Lincoln, Ended Slavery, and Remade America (2020) Fergus M. Bordewich, The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government (2016) Fergus M. Bordewich, America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise that Preserved the Union (2012) The Hayes-Tilden Election of 1876, Live at the National Constitution Center (Oct 13, 2020) Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email [email protected]. 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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630
Jonathan Adler and Stephen Vladeck Debate the Use of the “Shadow Docket” on the Roberts Court
In this episode, Jonathan Adler of William & Mary Law School and Stephen Vladeck of Georgetown University Law Center explore a part of the Supreme Court’s work that has drawn growing public attention: its emergency, or “shadow,” docket. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources Jonathan Adler, “Reading the Clean Power Plan "Shadow Papers" in Context,” The Volokh Conspiracy (April 22, 2026) Jonathan Adler, “Mifepristone Returns to the Shadow Docket,” The Volokh Conspiracy (May 3, 2026) Stephen Vladeck, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic (2024) Stephen Vladeck, “Chief Justice Roberts and the Clean Power Plan,” OneFirst (April 20, 2026) City of Los Angeles v. Lyons (1983) Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) Winter v. NRDC (2008) West Virginia v. EPA (2016) Biden v. Texas (2022) United States v. Texas (2023) FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (2024) Trump v. CASA (2024) NIH v. American Public Health Association (2025) Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected] Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work Donate
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629
Sarah Isgur on Last Branch Standing
Sarah Isgur joins for a conversation on her new book, Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court. Drawing on history, law, and current debates, Sarah Isgur offers an engaging look at the Supreme Court, exploring its unique role in American democracy, how the Court became the nation’s “last branch standing,” and what its growing power means for the future of the Constitution. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s Book Club series on April 27, 2026. Resources Sarah Isgur, Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court (2026) Civic Parenting, a new podcast from the National Constitution Center Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected] Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work Donate
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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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National Constitution Center
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