What are nationwide injunctions, and are they constitutional? Two experts on nationwide injunctions, Amanda Frost of American University’s Washington College of Law and Howard Wasserman of Florida International University Law School, explore those questions with host Jeffrey Rosen.

George Washington signed into law the act that created the Treasury Department on September 2, 1789. The move became crucial to America’s survival, but it also created a constitutional debate about federal powers that remains with us today.

On September 5, 1774, the first Continental Congress in the United States met in Philadelphia to consider its reaction to the British government’s restraints on trade and representative government after the Boston Tea Party.

On September 6, 1901, the popular President William McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, while his Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, was in Vermont at a speaking engagement. Over the next eight days, reports varied about McKinley’s health, with Roosevelt traveling to Buffalo and leaving to join his vacationing family.

Controversial actions taken by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his attempt to achieve Brexit and leave the European Union by October 31 with or without a deal are shaking faith in the United Kingdom's unwritten "constitution." The UK's governmental practices, laws, and court rulings together establish the equivalent of a working constitution. One of the ideas central to that "constitution," as Constitution Daily's Lyle Denniston writes, is parliamentary sovereignty—parliament's ultimate control of the government. But, last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament from September 9 until October 14. Critics say Johnson's move is a veiled attempt to deprive members of Parliament of the time they need to pass legislation that would prevent a "no-deal" Brexit. The prorogation is being challenged in court in London and Edinburgh.

The United States Constitution vests the power to summon or dismiss Congress within the House of Representatives and the Senate; during session, one house cannot adjourn for more than three days without consent of the other.

Constitutional chaos in Britain, viewed from America by Lyle Denniston

"Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting."

Article I, Section 5 by Martin B. Gold and Ronald Weich

The Interactive Constitution is the leading digital resource about the Constitution’s history and its meaning today. A free online platform, the Interactive Constitution brings scholars from across the legal and philosophical spectrum to explore the meaning of each provision of our founding document.

Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, legal scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Frederick Lawrence, and Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick, examine the Supreme Court’s 2018-19 term, which includes significant cases regarding religious displays, the death penalty, partisan gerrymandering, the census, and more. Melissa Garlick, civil rights national counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, moderates. This program was presented in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League.

1.0 CLE substantive credit

Exactly 92 years after the infamous Buck v. Bell decision, the Center presented a partial screening of “A Dangerous Idea: Eugenics, Genetics and the American Dream”—an award-winning documentary exploring the legal history of the eugenics movement in the United States. Following the screening, the film’s co-writer and executive producer Andrew Kimbrell, acclaimed author and journalist Daniel Okrent, and law and bioethics scholars Paul Lombardo and Dorothy Roberts joined for a conversation exploring the dark history of eugenics and the Constitution. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

The National Constitution Center's CLE programs, which can be attended in-person or on-demand online, are accredited in various states. Please check your state rules for specific forms and procedures. For more information, visit constitutioncenter.org/CLE.

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling our congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” The National Constitution Center’s educational programs are made possible through the generosity of foundations, corporations, and individual donors and members nationwide.

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