The Battle for the Constitution
A special project on the constitutional debates in American life, in partnership with the National Constitution Center
Support for this project was provided by the Madison Initiative of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. (More)
The Most Dangerous Form of Bribery
Election corruption can’t be solved by corrupt elections, so the Founders devised a special solution: impeachment.
-
![]()
Library of Congress / AP The President Can Do Whatever He Wants, Which Is Why He Can’t
The Founders gave the executive branch immense authority—but also counted on the people to hold their leaders in check.
-
![]()
E. R. Curtiss / Wisconsin Historical Society / ... How to Revive Madison’s Constitution
The American experiment requires virtuous leaders who place the public good over their own personal or partisan interests.
-
![]()
Win McNamee / Getty The Obscure—But Crucial—Rules the Trump Administration Has Sought to Corrupt
I was part of a team that carefully developed a rule-making process in compliance with both the Constitution and Congress’s laws. Can the same be said now?
-
-
![]()
Rick Bowmer / AP I Know What It’s Like to Carry Out Executions
The experience of participating in the state-sanctioned killing of another human being has shaped me forever—and is why I believe this country should not pursue federal capital punishment.
-
![]()
Joshua Roberts / Reuters The Weaponization of Impeachment
America’s political leaders like to talk a big game about proper constitutional conduct and high-minded principles, but the history of impeachment reveals that partisanship is a more powerful motivator.
-
![]()
Alicia Tatone The Guns Case Is About Much More Than Guns
By hearing this case about the Second Amendment, the Supreme Court is declaring itself the only appropriate forum for remedying constitutional violations.
-
![]()
Shutterstock / The Atlantic Freedom Is Meaningless Under Insurmountable Debt
Advocates are arguing that the Thirteenth Amendment prohibits usurious loans.
-
![]()
Jonathan Drake / Reuters Five Common Misconceptions About the Electoral College
Defenders of the Electoral College argue that it was created to combat majority tyranny and support federalism, and that it continues to serve those purposes. This stance depends on a profound misunderstanding of the history of the institution.
-
![]()
Molly Riley / Reuters Foreign Policy Isn't Just Up To Trump
The president’s defenders argue that U.S. foreign policy is whatever he says it is. Trouble is, that’s not what the Constitution says.
-
![]()
Saul Loeb / Getty Bribery Is Right There in the Constitution
And “attempted” bribery, even if unsuccessful, is still bribery all the same.
-
![]()
Doug Mills / The New York Times / ... The Weird Scenario That Pits President Pelosi Against Citizen Trump in 2020
A consistent reading of the Constitution suggests that the current process of succession is constitutional—and that barring Trump from running again would not be.
-
![]()
Bettman / Getty How Conservatives Turned the ‘Color-Blind Constitution’ Against Racial Progress
Progressives used to argue that the Constitution doesn’t see race. Now conservatives have weaponized that same idea.
-
![]()
Frank Scherschel / The LIFE Picture Collection / ... The Electoral College’s Racist Origins
More than two centuries after it was designed to empower southern white voters, the system continues to do just that.
-
![]()
Patrick Semansky / Reuters How to Rein In an All-Too-Powerful Supreme Court
Congress should empower itself to more easily overturn Supreme Court decisions.
-
![]()
Tom Brenner / Reuters Executive Privilege Should Have No Power When It Comes to an Impeachment
The same rules don’t apply now that the House has begun a formal impeachment inquiry.
-
![]()
J. Scott Applewhite / AP There’s Never Going to Be a Clear Standard for Impeachable Offenses
And that means it’s Congress’s job to set boundaries around presidential power.
-
![]()
Leah Mills / Reuters The Founders Would Have Called Out Trump for Bribery
There’s no need to debate “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Bribery is enough for removal.
-
![]()
Charles Ommanney / Getty The Next 12 Months Will Decide the Future of the American Experiment
The American republic has lasted for more than two tumultuous centuries. But can it survive Donald Trump?
-
![]()
Gary Cameron / Reuters The Fragility of Immigrants’ Constitutional Protections
Recent cases have claimed that our founding document doesn’t defend noncitizens—even on American soil.
-
![]()
Lido Vizzutti / Reuters The American Bar Association Broke Its Own Rules
The organization has proved it can’t be trusted to fairly review nominees.
