David Adler, Constitutional scholar and journalist, uses his column “We the People” to promote the public’s understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution. As a component of the South Dakota Humanities Council’s mission to encourage civil conversation, the council is providing program funding to make “We the People” available free-of-charge throughout the state via the South Dakota Newspaper Association.
“We the People,” published weekly, covers different aspects of the U.S. Constitution, such as explaining the meaning of provisions, examining Supreme Court decisions, and promoting civic education.
“The Constitution is all-Broadway, all the time, in the life of our nation,” Adler said. “Knowledge of the Constitution, to borrow from James Madison, empowers the citizenry to promote governmental transparency and accountability and to participate effectively in the great debates of our time.”
Adler discusses many topics in his deciphering study of the Constitution. Some of his recent works focus on gender equality, freedom of speech, and whether a president can be subpoenaed.
Reader Asks: How Do We Rein in Supreme Court Justices?
Is Posting of Ten Commandments in Schools Constitutional?
Presidential Power, the 14th Amendment and the Public Debt
In Defense of Clergy, the Court Strikes Blow for Religious Liberty
Church and State: The Court Prohibits Religious Tests for Office
The Supreme Court’s First Big Decision on State Powers
Justice Chase’s Impeachment and Judicial Independence
Applying Impeachment Clause to Supreme Court Justices
Trump’s Case: When Novel Theories Become Legal Principles
University of Wyoming Transgender Lawsuit: Who is a Woman?
Vulnerable to Indictment, Trump’s Cases Subject to the Law
Court Declares a Right to Contraceptives for Unmarried Individuals
Court Finally Ends Race Discrimination in Public Accommodations
Supreme Court in Nebbia: “An Ominous Fork in the Road”
The Supreme Court Delivers Landmark Victory for Farmers
Mike Pence Seeks Refuge in the Speech or Debate Clause
State of the Union Address: The Constitution and Politics
The First Amendment and Free Speech on Campus
The Constitution and Government Classification of Secrets
Tinker v. Des Moines: Anchoring Students’ Free Speech Rights
Buck v. Bell: The Supreme Court Upholds Forced Sterilization
Powell v. McCormack: Confining Congress to the Constitution
At Year’s End: A Duty to Protect our Constitutional Democracy
Constitutionally Speaking, A Former President May Be Prosecuted
Law and History Reject Unlimited Legislative Power
Donald Trump’s Call to Terminate the Constitution
Lynch v. Donnelly: Christmas Creche and the Constitution
Near v. Minnesota: Bulwark of Press Freedom
Blaisdell: Constitutional Flexibility in the Face of Crisis
Before the Court: The Future of National Unity
Affirmative Action in Universities: Has it a Future?
Presidents and Former Presidents are Subject to Subpoenas
Equal Protection: Serving Sons and Daughters
Muller v. Oregon: Protection for Women in the Workplace
Supreme Court in 1873: Women Unfit to Practice Law
U.S. v. Smith: No Presidential Power to Initiate War
A Little-Known Landmark Ruling of Historic Dimensions
The Court Protects the American Labor Movement
The Court, the Minimum Wage Ruling and the Holy Ghost
Shelley v. Kraemer: “My Little Soul is Overjoyed”
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