The Constitutional Studies Center combines careful, objective scholarship into the original understanding of the Constitution with advocacy for human freedom under law. It produces books, issue papers, articles, and legal briefs reporting the results of its research. Since 2010, the Center has had enormous influence on constitutional law cases and commentary, but also on policy makers and grass roots activists. For example, the Center’s research findings galvanized the massive and growing “Article V” movement to restore constitutional limits on the federal government.
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How to Replace Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court0
- January 12, 2017
President-Elect Trump says he wants to nominate a justice like the late Antonin Scalia to the U.S. Supreme Court. That means a justice who follows the judicial philosophy of “originalism.” Originalism is the view that we should interpret the Constitution much as we interpret other legal documents—in accordance with the understanding of the people who
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TABOR: All About the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights0
- January 9, 2017
Rules limiting the legislature’s ability to tax, spend, and/or incur debt appear in the U.S. Constitution and in the constitutions of almost all states. But probably the most famous and most controversial is Colorado’s “Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights,” or TABOR. TABOR gives the people, voting in referenda, the final say on most state and local
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Yes, Mr. President—You Must Enforce Laws You Don’t Like0
- January 3, 2017
Must the president enforce laws he doesn’t like? The answer to this question lies in the Constitution’s phrase that the president “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
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American Colonies: Mostly Private Enterprise0
- December 11, 2016
Too many of us who are enthusiastic about space exploration and colonization expect the federal government to lead the way. We should learn from the founding of the American colonies. In his notes to the ninth volume of English Historical Documents, the distinguished historian Merrill Jensen explained how much the English settlement of America relied
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Electoral College: Answers to Questions0
- December 11, 2016
Here are answers to some questions I’ve gotten about the Electoral College since Election Day: Q. What is the Electoral College? A. It’s not an educational institution! The term “college” is a typical 18th century latinate usage, based on the Latin word “collegium,” meaning a club or guild. (This another example of why knowledge of
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Ebenezer Hazard: Forgotten Founder0
- December 6, 2016
An earlier version of this article first appeared in Townhall.com. When we celebrate leading American founders such as George Washington and James Madison, we sometimes overlook their talented colleagues. One of these was Ebenezer Hazard. As postmaster general under the Articles of Confederation, he helped bind the country together. As a historical editor, he preserved precious
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Contact
Rob Natelson, Senior Fellow, Constitutional Jurisprudence
Email: rob.natelson1@gmail.com
Phone: 303-279-6536, ext 114