We the People

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)



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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)



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Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

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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)



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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)

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When Americans think about the Declaration of Independence, we tend to remember its most famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” and its promise of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But to fully understand the Declaration we also need to read the section most Americans skip: its 27 grievances against King George III. For the founding generation, these grievances were not simply a list of complaints. They were central to the Declaration’s argument, laying out the case for how the King and Parliament had violated their rights and why independence had become necessary. Historian Rosemarie Zagarri explores what the grievances meant in 1776, what they reveal about the colonists’ understanding of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and how reading them more closely can deepen our understanding of the Declaration as a constitutional argument and a justification for revolution. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.



Resources

The Declaration of Independence, National Constitution Center

“The Declaration’s Grievances Against the King,” by Rosemarie Zagarri for the National Constitution Center

Primary Source: Declaration of Independence (Short list of grievances), National Constitution Center

The Promise of America: Reflections on, Our Enduring Ideals

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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.

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