Podcasts about remotelearning

Our Constitution does not spend a lot of time detailing foreign policy powers.  We know the president can appoint ambassadors, negotiate treaties and use executive agreements in our relations with other governments.  But beyond that, what is the role of the presidency?  What are the checks and balances with the other branches?  What do we mean when we say foreign policy is an “inherent” power?  To walk us through this complex power, we are pleased to have Dr. James S. Robbins as our guest this week.  Dr. Robbins is Dean of Academics, Institute of World Politics ; Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council; and Former special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

We have laws in our country passed by Congress.  Then we have regulations that come out of the bureaucracy.  Our guest today argues that when government grows, individual liberty shrinks.  Our guest, Andrew Langer, is the president of the Institute for Liberty.  He is going to discuss the benefits and costs (upwards of $4 trillion annually) of regulations, the process to challenge them and the impact of the Administrative Procedures Act (enacted in 1946) and the role of the public in the regulations process.

There's been a lot of discussions in the current administration to streamline government.  Part of that includes shuttering departments, including the Department of Education.  Did you know for the vast majority of American history, the Department of Education didn't exist and was created in 1979?  To walk us through the process of shutting down a department and the reasons for it, we are happy to welcome Neal McCluskey, director of Cato's Center for Educational Freedom.  Neal has worked on education reform for over two decades and will share his insights with our panel.

We have a very exciting guest on our show this week.  He identifies 4 great changes in American history brought upon by the President in office at the time: Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln and FDR.  If President Trump is able to fulfill his campaign promises, our guest believes we could be experiencing the 5th period of great change.  One of the targeted areas  of change the current administration is focusing are our trade agreements globally and tariffs.  Joining our all-star student panel to discuss tariffs and other constitutional issues in the news is historian and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich.

A mission statement for an organization is a list of aspirational goals.  It brings purpose and summarizes values.  Through that lens, perhaps we should look at our Declaration of Independence and Constitution as the mission statement for our country.  Both documents lay out our country's values and goals in becoming a “more perfect union.” Our guest today, our board member Jay McConville, wrote an essay for one of our recent online studies in which he contrasts our country's mission statement with that of communism via The Communist Manifesto.  Jay is a military veteran, CEO and civic volunteer and we look forward to him sharing his research with our student panel.

Through the separation of powers, the Founders fully intended for each branch of government to be combative with the others.  This fighting amongst the branches, they hoped, would protect our liberties and inhibit abuse of power.  Each presidential administration must deal with the judicial branch in implementing their agenda, when cases involving their agenda are brought to court. This is what we are discussing today.  To help us understand the intricacies of the current judiciary and executive relationship, we are pleased to have as our guest a veteran of all three branches.  Professor John Yoo is currently the Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.  He previously clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court, was general counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee and worked in the George W. Bush administration as a deputy assistant attorney general.

It's been called “The World's Greatest Deliberative Body.”  One-third of its members are elected every two years, and serve six year terms.  Presided over by the Vice President of the United States.  We are of course talking about the United State Senate.  The Founders created the Senate with a purpose, to be a place when debate happens as a “House of Reason.”  To walk us through the Senate and what separates it from the way the House of Representatives does business, we are thrilled to have two guests on our show this week.  Josh Holmes, host of the popular “Ruthless” podcast, served as Chief of Staff to Speaker Mitch McConnell from 2010-2013 and also worked in the U. S. House of Representatives.  Jade West served as Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee and as Executive Director of the U.S. Senate Steering Committee.   

One of the genius aspects of the United States Constitution is the emphasis on protecting individual liberty.  The document protects liberty through separation of powers so power is not concentrated exclusively in any one branch.  To fulfill the desires of the people, the process through which national legislation is introduced begins on the floor of either the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate.  Today, we are talking about the process and procedures for legislation on the floor of the U.S. House.  To walk us through this sometimes confusing process, we are delighted to welcome former Virginia Congressman Robert Hurt. Congressman Hurt served in Congress for 6 years and is the former Dean of the Helms School of Government of Liberty University.

Did you know there are thousands upon thousands of bills filed every year in the US House and Senate?  Only a fraction of those reach a floor vote and only a small amount of those are passed and signed into law.  Before a bill can reach the floor, it must first go through the committee process.  To help us learn what this process is and what it entails, we are delighted to welcome Cyrus Artz. Cyrus is the former staff director of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, and currently a senior policy advisor in the Office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Join us as Cyrus shares his insight and experience with our student panel!

Article 1 of the US Constitution creates Congress and gives Congress the power to write and pass laws.  But what does that process look like?  What is the procedure through which a bill introduced in one chamber is then passed in the other chamber?  What is the committee process and its effect on whether or not a bill comes to the floor for a vote?  What influence can the average American have in this process?  To discuss this rather complex process, we are excited to welcome Dr. Dave Brat to our chat this week.  Dr. Brat is a former member of Congress and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Business Engagement, Office of Business Relations at Liberty University.

Next in the line of succession for the Presidency, after the Vice President. Presiding officer over all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Responsible for implementing a legislative agenda.  Today we are discussing one of the most powerful positions in our federal government, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  What are the duties of the speaker?  How does the Speaker influence federal policymaking.  What role does the Speaker play politically in getting individuals elected and reelected?  To walk us through the day to day life of the Speaker of the House, we are happy to welcome Dan Meyer.  Dan served as Chief of Staff to two U.S. House Speakers and has a wealth of insight into their roles.

Constitutional Chats Podcast Episode 247 For being such a public figure, the role of the First Lady of the United States is not well-defined.  Some have taken very public roles and played a part in crafting and changing policy and others prefer to be a bit more low-profile.  Since the role is not defined by any law or statute, it is up to each First Lady to determine the visibility and role they will play in a presidential administration.  To guide our student panel through these ever-changing roles, we have a veteran of 4 White House administrations across 3 decades, three-time author and an internationally recognized expert on the legacies of American first ladies and operations of the White House: Anita McBride.

The American Revolution ended in 1781.  The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783.  George Washington was elected our country's first president in 1788 and sworn in 1789.  Besides the Constitutional Convention 1787, there has not been significant  scholarly study into what George Washington was doing in the intervening years between the end of the Revolutionary War and his election as President.  Our guest today wrote a book on those years called, “The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789” and will chat with our student panel on Washington's role in laying the groundwork for the new country during those years.  Dr. Ed Larson is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and serves as a senior fellow of the University of Georgia's Institute of Higher Education and is currently University Professor of History at Pepperdine University.

The Executive Branch of our country, led by the President, oversees millions of federal employees and hundreds of White House staff.  Obviously, the President cannot directly manage all of these employees.  To aid in this administrative function, the President appoints several dozen “Assistants to the President.”  This is the highest ranking staff position in the White House and their duty is to provide strategic counsel and oversee major initiatives based on goals set by the President.  To further explain this role, we have a former Assistant to the President on our chat today.  George Sifakis served in the first Trump administration as an Assistant to the President and later as Director of the Office of Public Liaison.

He was a university president who became the President of the United States.  He took us into war with Germany in World War I but later won a Nobel Peace Prize as the leading architect behind the League of Nations.  To discuss our 28th President with our student panel, we are pleased to welcome Christopher Cox to talk about his book, “Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn.”

The idea of the United States acquiring Greenland is not a new idea.  This idea has been kicked around since the 19th century but revisited with the new presidential administration.  Why would the US have an interest in acquiring Greenland?  What are the strategic and economic advantages in doing so?  How could this acquisition be compared to the Louisiana Purchase?  And can it even happen?  There are lots of questions surrounding this timely topic and to help our student panel address them, we are happy to welcome back Jim Pinkerton.  Jim is a longtime columnist for Fox News and Breitbart and has written on the this topic for the American Conservative.

When one presidential administration ends, another begins.  While the public watches the transition on TV, behind the scenes there's a well orchestrated symphony executing the plan to bring in a new administration.  To walk us through the nuts and bolts of what happens behind the scenes, we are joined by a veteran of one such transition as a guest today!  Sean Spicer served as the 30th White House Press Secretary and Acting White House Communications Director during the first Trump administration and will share his insight into this historic day.

How do you create limited, but at the same time, strong and effective government?  In tackling this problem, our Founders relied on three branches with each branch having strong offensive and defensive weapons to use against the other branches' possible encroachments.  The Founders understood an ineffective government is just as dangerous to liberty as an authoritarian government.  They wanted a strong executive branch but didn't want that power concentrated in one person to devolve into tyranny.  To walk us through this fascinating topic, we are pleased to welcome Savannah Eccles Johnston. She is an assistant professor of political science at Salt Lake Community College and host of the podcast “This Constitution.”

Free speech was so important to our Founders they wrote it into the First Amendment to the Constitution.  Over the last decade, we have seen an erosion of free speech support through cancel culture, suppression on college campuses and “fact checkers” on social media platforms.  Did we finally reach a tipping point and are beginning to rally once again around the idea of free speech?  Just this week we saw Meta announce they will no longer use fact checkers but community notes in their platforms.  To discuss this topic with our all-star student panel, we are pleased to welcome FOX News contributor and author Mary Katharine Ham to this week's show.

It's 1787.  Under the current Articles of Confederation the American experiment is struggling.  James Madison knew a new guiding document was needed.  Once opposed to a Bill of Rights, it was Madison who would ultimately introduce the Bill of Rights in 1789.  Why was Madison originally opposed to a Bill of Rights?  What documents influenced him?  Why were the Bill of Rights necessary and what were the criticisms of the Constitution before the Bill of Rights?  Discussing this momentous event in history with our student panel, we are happy to welcome GianCarlo Canaparo, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Why does Constituting America do the work we do in educating young people about the U.S. Constitution and our country's founding principles?  Think about this.  According to our guest, in a spectral analysis of the Declaration of Independence, in Thomas Jefferson's original draft, he wrote “our fellow subjects.”  In the draft we all know, he used “our fellow citizens.”  The difference in that word is remarkable.  It shows the change in thinking that we were once subjects to a government but now we are citizens who can dictate our government so that it works for us.  Constituting America exists to educate our next generation so they can understand the importance in that shift in mindset.  Our guest argues that a solid civic education is needed to maintain that free society of citizens, not subjects.  Join our all-star student panel and this week's; guest, Kirk Higgins, Vice President of Content at the Bill of Rights Institute, for this discussion on educating our next generation.

For our annual online academic study this year, we are taking a journey through our republic with Alexis de Tocqueville's “Democracy in America.” It is perhaps the best book ever written about America and democracy, according to our guest today.  In this work, De Toqueville takes on an almost prophetic voice in predicting the future of  our country and our constitutional republic. How was De Tocqueville  able to leverage his knowledge of philosophy to accomplish this?  What truths was he willing to tell us about our governmental institutions?  To walk us through this aspect of De Toqueville's work, we are honored to welcome Raúl Rodriguez, assistant professor in the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin, for this enlightening conversation.

The 1st Amendment recognizes our God-given right to free speech without government restriction.  But what is a college student to do when it's their own college suppressing their free speech?  What is that student to do when that suppression directly leads to hate speech and violent threats from their fellow students simply for having a differing opinion?  Our guest was such a student.  We are delighted to welcome back to Constituting American Evita Duffy.  Evita won our “We the Future” contest back in 2010.  Since that time, she attended the University of Chicago and is now a journalist.  We are happy to have one of our earliest contest winners and member of the Constituting America family back to share her experience regarding free speech on college campuses and her hopes for a renewed culture of free speech.

Picture this:  You are a young child growing up in a suburb of Boston.  You happen to a big fan of the musical “Hamilton” and through an educational TV show, you learn that the park where you regularly ride your bike and your neighborhood is portrayed in the musical you love!  This is exactly what happened with this week's special guest, Sabrina Bhattacharjya.  Now a 14-year old historian, Sabrina has dived deep into the history of her town, Lexington, Massachusetts.  This is where the infamous “shot heard ‘round the world” took place that started the American Revolution.  Sabrina has since started Lexington 250 to help celebrate in April 2025 the 250th anniversary of that famous day.  Join our student panel as we learn more of the interesting facts and historical significance of what happened that day from this fabulous historian.

The electoral college is one of the most important characteristics of our republic, but it is also perhaps the most misunderstood.  Every time we vote for President the merit of the electoral college is debated. But what is it? Why was it created?  How does it protect small states, and preserve state identity?  Should we view it as a problem itself or an effective solution to a problem? To address all of these questions and so much more, we are delighted to have Michael Maibach, electoral college expert and Distinguished Fellow for Save Our States, as our special guest this week.

It's 1787 and you are a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.  You represent a midsize state and arriving 3 days late, you encounter James Madison's Virginia Plan to allocate representation among the states proportionally.  You realize how this would be a detriment to smaller states who are needed to ratify the Constitution.  What do you do?  You are Roger Sherman from Connecticut and you draft the Connecticut Compromise which allocates representation in the lower chamber based on population but guarantees equal state representation in the upper chamber.  Why was this necessary and what other provisions did it entail?  To answer these questions, we are pleased welcome Mark David Hall, Professor in the Robertson School of Government at Regent University and scholar on early America.

He was an actor, governor and our 40th president.  Today, we are discussing the presidency of Ronald Reagan.  Though now a modern icon of conservatives, Reagan's political leanings were originally democrat as a supporter of FDR and Truman.  During his presidential term, through what lens did Reagan approach the limitations placed on government?  In what way was he a Constitutional originalist?  How did this belief factor into navigating a constitutional crisis like the Iran Contra Affair?  To guide us in this chat, we are pleased to welcome back an alumni of the Reagan White House and current Senior Fellow in the Center for American Prosperity at the America First Policy Institute., Jim Pinkerton, for our weekly constitutional chat.

Today, we are discussing our country's 34th President, Dwight Eisenhower.  A Texan by birth but raised in Kansas, Eisenhower graduated from West Point and during World War II served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and was promoted to 5-star General of the US Army. Twice elected President, Eisenhower notably led our country as we entered the Cold War. In what ways did Eisenhower's military experience shape his views on domestic and foreign policy?  What civil rights advancements were made during his tenure?  What was his overall sense of duty?  To help us in this discussion, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Elizabeth Spalding, Chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation for this informative chat.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the 32nd US President and was our longest serving president, having run for and won four elections to the presidency.  FDR was President during two tumultuous events in US history, the Great Depression and the outbreak of World War II.  Pulling a page from the Woodrow Wilson playbook, FDR expanded the administrative state even further.  In what ways did FDR expand the scope and size of the federal government?  Why did the American people elect him four times to the office of the presidency? What did he mean when he spoke of “bold, persistent experimentation?”  To chat with our student panel on FDR, we are delighted to welcome Jim Pinkerton this week.  Jim is an alumni of the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations and is currently a Senior Fellow in the Center for American Prosperity at the American First Policy Institute.

In our chat today, we are focusing on our 31st President, Herbert Hoover.  Born poor to a Quaker family in Iowa in 1874, Hoover was one of the first graduates of Stanford University in 1895.  He earned a fortune as a mining engineer and had business interests on 6 of 7 continents.  He rose to public prominence during World War I and joined the Woodrow Wilson administration as the leader of the Food Administration.  He successfully ran for President in 1928 but his administration was quickly stained by Prohibition (which he inherited from the previous administration) and the stock market crash and Great Depression.  He was soundly defeated in 1932.  To help our student panel grasp the policies and worldview that shaped President Hoover, we are happy to welcome Stephen Tootle, Professor of History at the College of the Sequoias, for this informative discussion.

The administrative state, the professional bureaucracy in our federal government, has not always been such a feature in how government functions.  Did you know President Woodrow Wilson helped  precipitate the rapid rise in that bureaucracy? How did this happen and why? What did Wilson mean when he spoke of an elastic constitution, and how does it threaten our freedom? To walk our student panel  through this topic, we are delighted to have William Morrissey, Professor Emeritus at Hillsdale College, as our special guest constitutional expert.

Kevin Boston-Hill speaks with the Executive Director of Insight School of Washington, Myron Hammond, about the benefits of an online K-12 education and how to find free options in your area.

In 1831, a 26 year-old French member of the aristocracy arrived in New York City to examine our prison system.  Alexis de Tocqueville would do that and so much more.  Over 9 months, he and his travel companion, Gustave de Beaumont, traveled extensively and in 1835, he published “Democracy in America.”  De Tocqueville studied and answered what it took to perpetuate our political institutions, what the “habits of the American heart” are and what it means to be an American.  In fact, it was De Tocqueville who coined the term American Exceptionalism.  To guide our student panel as we discuss this seminal work, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Dorothea Wolfson, program director and senior lecturer in the MA in Government Program at Johns Hopkins University.   

Perhaps no Founding Father exemplifies the ideal of a citizen-legislator quite like John Adams.  Never a wealthy man, Adams dedicated his life and contributed greatly to our country in its infancy: as a lawyer, as a delegate to the Continental Congress, as our first Vice President and as our second President.  What was the basis for Adam's beliefs in how our country should be structured and why does our guest today argue John Adams was the greatest of our Founding Fathers?  Join our student panel as we welcome C. Bradley Thompson, Professor of Political Science at Clemson University, for this informative discussion.

He was a city mayor, state representative and state senator.  He was a lieutenant governor and governor.  And he was a vice president and president.  Today, we are discussing the accomplishments of Calvin Coolidge.  He was an ardent defender of the US Constitution and fought the trend to alter and reinterpret the provisions in the Constitution.  He was also a dedicated “Toquevillian.” To guide our student panel in this discussion, we are thrilled to welcome Amity Shlaes as a guest.  She is the author of “Coolidge” (2013) and is the chair board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.

He was a solider, general, President and statesman.  George Washington is one of those few historical figures whose real-life accomplishments live up to the legend of the man. But what was Washington's role in crafting the document that ultimately made him President?  What were his thoughts on the role of a federal government in our new country?  To help us understand Washington's mindset during this pivotal era, we are delighted to welcome Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association for this informative chat with our student panel.

During the summer before every presidential election, both major political parties host their conventions.  Part of their function is to formally nominate their candidate for President.  Just who are the thousands of delegates who attend? What are their duties?  How are they chosen?  To help us understand everything related to these conventions and delegates, we are excited to welcome back election law expert Mark Braden and our student panel for this discussion.

Back in April, we discussed the Chevron Doctrine and the power it gave to unelected officials in various agencies.  This doctrine allowed agencies to rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous law.  In the recent Loper Bright decision, the Supreme Court struck down this doctrine.  To help our student panel understand the long term ramifications of this decision, we are delighted to welcome back Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for this timely discussion.

Back in May, we discussed a Supreme Court case that was about to be decided regarding actions local governments had taken regarding homelessness encampments in public spaces, in their cities.  Late last month, the Supreme Court sided 6-3 with the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, ruling their laws did not violate the 8th amendment prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment.  Returning from that previous show, we are thrilled to welcome back Thomas Jipping, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, as he discusses the ramifications of this U.S. Supreme Court decision with our student panel.

As with most Supreme Court decisions, the recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity is both complex and misunderstood. The Court had to rule on what level of immunity the President has in regard to his official duties as President. This case involves a complex series of rulings from various courts but we are thankful to have returning as our guest, former US Attorney and retired Navy JAG officer Charles “Cully” Stimson. Cully will help our all-star student panel unravel the complexities of this landmark Supreme Court case.

As with most Supreme Court decisions, the recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity is both complex and misunderstood. The Court had to rule on what level of immunity the President has in regard to his official duties as President. This case involves a complex series of rulings from various courts but we are thankful to have returning as our guest, former US Attorney and retired Navy JAG officer Charles “Cully” Stimson. Cully will help our all-star student panel unravel the complexities of this landmark Supreme Court case.

As with most Supreme Court decisions, the recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity is both complex and misunderstood.  The Court had to rule on what level of immunity the President has in regard to his official duties as President. This case involves a complex series of rulings from various courts but we are thankful to have returning as our guest, former US Attorney and retired Navy JAG officer Charles “Cully” Stimson.  Cully will help our all-star student panel unravel the complexities of this landmark Supreme Court case.

This week we celebrate the spirit of the American people! A country's identity is directly tied to its people.  A good way to gauge the characteristics and spirit of a country's people is to look at the country from an outsider's perspective.  That's exactly what Alexis de Tocqueville did when he came to America in 1831.  The French-born aristocrat traveled extensively around our country and in 1835 wrote of his observations and experiences in “Democracy in America.” What can we learn from his observations?  Are his observations still relevant nearly 200 years later?  To help us further understand the importance and relevance of de Tocqueville's writings, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Pete Peterson, Dean of Pepperdine's School of Public Policy, to the chat today.

When you hear the term “the American Dream” what do you think of first?  Homeownership?  Going to college?  Having a great job?  Safe communities?  All are correct answers.  What is amazing about that dream is that it can be unique to each of us, yet is something we all collectively enjoy in this country. Think about this.  Our Constitution does not specifically mention the American Dream, but it protects the freedoms to pursue it. The American Dream did not happen by accident and our guest argues it's largely driven by economic liberty.  To find out why, join our student panel and our special guest, the Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel, for this fascinating discussion!

Our country is one of unimaginable beauty.  From snow-capped mountain peaks to arid deserts to peaceful beaches, our varied landscapes have spoken to our soul as a nation for generations.  Our country currently preserves 63 sites with the “national park” designation, with a total of 429 sites in the system.  To help us better understand the history and significance of these locales, we are delighted to welcome two guests to our chat this week.  Linda Harvey is a former Deputy Director of the National Park Service.  Karla Morton is the 2010 Texas Poet Laureate and has written extensive poetry about our national parks in her book, “National Parks: A Century of Grace.”

We admit it.  We are big fans of federalism.  Regular listeners will understand that Constitution grants certain rights to the federal government and courtesy of the 10th amendment, remaining powers are reserved for the states.  Does this mean federalism is a function of recognition of states' rights?  Our special guest argues this characterization is better suited if we view federalism as a function of decentralized and self-government as it relies on local authority.  Join our guest, Dr. William B. Allen, Emeritus Professor of Political Philosophy and Dean of James Madison College at Michigan State University, and our student panel for this enlightening conversation on federalism.

As Americans, do we sometimes have a tendency to take freedom for granted?  When it's something most of us have lived with our entire lives, the answer is assuredly yes.  That's to be expected as we can't fully comprehend what it is to live without. But ask anyone born under a dictator or totalitarian regime and they quickly remind of us of the blessings of liberty, since they once lived without it.  To help remind us of this blessing of freedom, we are honored to have Ambassador Aldona Woś.  Polish born, Ambassador Woś served as the US Ambassador to Estonia during the George W. Bush Administration and is currently the President of the Institute for World Politics. Her personal story is a compelling reminder that freedom is not free, nor is it permanent. 

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The 16th Amendment gives power to congress to “lay and collect taxes.”  After all, a country has to have an ability to raise revenue. When it comes to that revenue, we have had a tradition of paying taxes on income, not the value of an investment, like paying taxes when we sell a few shares of stock in a company and not on the growth of that stock every year we own it.  Those are called realized gains.  There is discussion in the federal government to change that and tax unrealized gains meaning we would have to pay taxes on the increase in value in our homes or investments even before we sell that possession.  The genesis of this Supreme Court case was a provision in the tax cuts package passed and signed into law in 2017 to help pay for those cuts.  We know, tax code and tax law are confusing.  Fortunately, to help us navigate this confusing topic, we have a very special guest with an impressive legal career.  Paul Clement is the country's former Solicitor General (the Department of Justice's chief lawyer in front of the Supreme Court), now in private practice.  He has argued more than 100 cases in front of the Supreme Court, more than any other lawyer since 2000, in or out of government.

The Constitution dictates every 10 years we undergo a Census to count how many people live in each state.  Based off these population numbers, congressional seats are then apportioned.  States who lost population might lose a seat and states who grew may gain a seat or two since we can only have 435 total seats in the U.S. House.  This brings up an obvious question: who gets to redraw congressional districts after apportionment and can they redraw those districts for a political benefit?  This is where gerrymandering comes into play.  According to our guest expert, “gerrymandering” is drawing districts that are perceived to be unfair in their representation.  To further complicate the issue, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 placed restrictions on how these districts are redrawn and subsequent Supreme Court decisions have further altered this process.  The current Supreme Court case Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP has the potential to challenge again how districts are redrawn. It's a complicated issue but we are grateful to have as our guest Mark Braden, an attorney with BakerHostetler who specializes in election law and voting issues to help us navigate this issue.