Supreme Court to Decide TikTok’s Fate

Your students may have noticed that TikTok is trending—but not for their favorite viral dances.

Concerned about national security and data privacy, lawmakers have pushed to cancel the app while TikTok’s creators said a ban would violate the First Amendment. The popular social media app was the focus of Friday’s Supreme Court oral arguments in TikTok v. Garland.

Facilitate a discussion on this topic using the resources below:

• In a new We the People podcast, The Future of TikTok, Jameel Jaffer of Columbia Law School and Zephyr Teachout of Fordham Law School join NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to debate whether the law that forces TikTok to be sold or banned violates the First Amendment.

• Constitution 101:
• Video: First Amendment
• Video: When did the Supreme Court begin to strongly protect the right to free speech and a free press?
• Printable Knowledge Check: First Amendment: Speech, Press, Religion, Assembly, and Petition

Upcoming Professional Learning Session

Article II: The Presidency and Executive Branch

Wednesday, January 15 | 6:30–8 p.m. ET

Join us for a free virtual professional learning session that will focus on Article II, the powers of the presidency and the executive branch.

Educators will examine the constitutional foundations of Article II, the role of the executive branch throughout history, and modern connections to events like the inauguration on January 20. The Center’s Education team will also share classroom resources to support student learning on these topics.

Summer Institute Applications Are Open

Engage with constitutional scholars and educators from around the country during a weeklong residential institute at the National Constitution Center in summer 2025.

During each institute, educators work with content experts to deepen their knowledge of the text, structure, history and contemporary relevance of the Constitution, and the amendment process.

Institutes are open to educators working with fifth through 12th grade students at public, charter, independent, parochial, and other schools. There are currently four opportunities to join us in Philadelphia this summer:

• Sunday, June 15–Friday, June 20: Principles of the American Revolution
• Sunday, July 6–Friday, July 11: Reconstruction and the Second Founding
• Sunday, July 13–Friday, July 18: Federalism and the Separation of Powers
• Sunday, July 20–Friday, July 25: Principles of the American Revolution, in partnership with PBS LearningMedia

Applications are open now through Monday, February 17. Notification regarding application status will be sent no later than Friday, March 28, 2025. Institutes are free to attend, but a successful application is required.

You're Invited: January Events

🗓️ Scholar Exchanges: Schedule a Session

In January, featured topics include: Article I: How Congress Works; Article II: The Presidency; and Article III: The Judicial Branch.

🗓️ Live Student Programs: First Amendment: The Power of Protests

Online | Tuesday, January 14 | Noon ET

Join us for a virtual tour of the National Constitution Center’s newest gallery, The First Amendment. Protecting some of our most cherished freedoms—religious liberty, free speech, a free press, the freedom of assembly, and the right to petition—the First Amendment is a pillar of democracy and the American way of life. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the program will highlight the power of the freedom of assembly and how King and other civil rights leaders used this right to fight for equality under the law.

🗓️ Civic Holidays: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In-Person | Monday, January 20 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. ET

The museum is open for extended hours on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 20, 2025, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is free.

🗓️ America’s Town Hall: My Fellow Americans: Presidents and Their Inaugural Addresses

Online | Tuesday, January 21 | Noon ET

The day after the 2025 presidential inauguration, join leading presidential historians and contributors to the recently published compendium My Fellow Americans: Presidents and Their Inaugural Addresses, Michael Gerhardt, Kate Masur, and Ted Widmer, as they reflect on inaugural addresses throughout history and how they relate to a president’s legacy.

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