Constitution Day
2025
Is the Shadow Docket Constitutional?
Dr. Mark David Hall of Regent University and Dr. Stephen I. Vladeck of Georgetown University Law Center discuss the constitutionality of the so called “Shadow Docket” within the context of Vladeck’s book The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic.
2024
Are the 2024 Title IX Regulations Constitutional?
Moderated by former Virginia Supreme Court Justice William C. Mims, the debate featured opposing perspectives from Professor and Dean Aaron Bizuis, who defended the regulations, and Alison Sman of the Pacific Legal Foundation, who raised constitutional concerns.
2023
Saving Democracy from Itself: Tocqueville and the Constitution
A discussion between Dr. Daniel Cullen, Rhodes College, and Dr. Joseph Kippenberg, Oglethorpe University, on the contrasting views of Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill on elites, religion, education, and democratic governance.
2021
Immigration and the Constitution: The Clash of the Two Ilyas
Immigration and the role of the Constitution in it remains at the forefront of American political discourse. The Center for American Studies has invited professor Ilya Somin and Ilya Shapiro to debate the topic in commemoration of Constitution Day 2021.
2020
Should the Electoral College be Reformed?
A debate between Dr. Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, and Dr. Allen C. Guelzo, Director of the James Madison Program Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship, moderated by Dr. Quentin Kidd. This debate focuses on the practical, philosophical and political viability and repercussions of reforming the Electoral College.
2019
A Conversation with President Lincoln and Judge Douglas
Two nationally renowned historic interpreters reenact the famous war of words between Honest Abe and the Little Giant, portrayed by George Buss and Tim Connors, respectively.
2018
Clash of the Titans: Madison vs. Jefferson on the Meaning of the US Constitution
Historical interpreters Bryan Austin, James Madison, and Kurt Smith, Thomas Jefferson, debate the constitutional debates throughout the Early American Republic while discussing how they believe the historical figure they depict would handle current issues.
2016
Constitutional Limits of Data Mining
The Center for American Studies at Christopher Newport partnered with the Jack Miller Center to host a live-streamed debate between Seth Stodder, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Border, Immigration & Trade Policy under President Obama, and David Cole, professor of constitutional law, national security, and criminal justice at Georgetown University Law Center. The two participants debated the constitutional limits of data mining.