University of Michigan’s PPE speaker this year was Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale. His passion is the U.S. Constitution, which he approaches from the perspectives of law, history, and political science. He is one of the legal scholars most frequently cited by the U. S. Supreme Court.
Amar’s lecture and Q&A, “The Constitution and the Presidency” began with brief opening remarks in a fairly full amphitheater followed by the structure and theme he conveys in his latest book; that the Constitution needs to be an open conversation that leads to its change. Through time, each generation must improve upon it, else our country ceases to be what it is today. His newest book, The Words that Made US, America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840 is the first in a trilogy which dives deep into how conversations drive change.
Amar discussed such topics as; (a) Freedom of the Press - its misnomers and how today’s press can be as simple as one’s handheld device. (b) The delicate balance of structuring laws that are neither too loose or too tight to prevent “strong men” from abusing the law. (c) How the Constitution should be viewed as an intergenerational project and the importance of viewing history with three different lenses. (1) What happened then, (2) what we think about it today, and (3) How we would like the future to look like. (d) The adoption of Public Schooling in developing a national identity and how the ills that are discussed in the Federalist Papers No. 37 can be avoided. (e) The lack of legislating from Congress these days and how we can correct the polarization. (f) The importance and today’s reluctance to continue to amend the Constitution. (g) Today’s interpretation of the Second Amendment, and (h) Chevron Deference and the Supreme Court's recent power grab.
I encourage you to watch his lecture on the University of Michigan’s YouTube page.
