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As Seen in Democracy: ACS Debate on How to Interpret the Constitution

This week, the American Constitution Society celebrates its 10th anniversary with a national convention in Washington, D.C. Among the most anticipated events is a panel discussion on how progressives should interpret the Constitution, featuring esteemed legal scholars Geoffrey Stone, Akhil Amar, and Pamela Karlan, among others.

It’s an important question, one that the new issue of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas delves into. In our Summer Issue, we recruited Stone, Bill Marshall, Doug Kendall, and Jim Ryan to debate how progressives should challenge conservative originalism. In “The Framers’ Constitution,” Stone and Marshall argue that while the principles set forth in the Constitution do not change, their interpretation must evolve over time. Kendall and Ryan counter that progressive values are inherent in the Constitution and the amendments that have followed, and that liberals should always base their constitutional arguments on text.

To read more about the ACS convention, click here. To read “Debating the Constitution” in our Summer Issue, click here.

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