Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2021 Time: 12:00 p.m.–1:15 p.m. ET
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Over the last year, peaceful demonstrators across the United States have been met by armed individuals and self-proclaimed “militias.” Between January 2020 and June 2021, at least 560 protests included the presence of armed individuals other than law enforcement. One out of six of those demonstrations reported violent or destructive activity, according to research from Everytown for Gun Safety.

Can speech be free when armed counter-protestors mix with unarmed protesters? What does this tension between the freedoms protected by the First and Second Amendments bode for democracy? And should state laws regarding the presence of guns at polling places be strengthened?

This event is produced in partnership with New York University’s John Brademas Center.

Speakers: Dr. Mary Anne Franks, Professor of Law and Michael R. Klein Distinguished Scholar Chair, University of Miami School of Law; Author, The Cult of the Constitution: Our Deadly Devotion to Guns and Free Speech; Darrell A.H. Miller, Melvin G. Shimm Professor of Law, Duke University Law School, Author, The Positive Second Amendment: Rights, Regulation, and the Future of Heller with Joseph Blocher; Eugene Volokh, Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law, UCLA Law, Founder and Coauthor, The Volokh Conspiracy; Tim Zick, John Marshall Professor of Government and Citizenship and William H. Cabell Research Professor of Law, William & Mary Law School; Moderator: Eric Ruben, Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice, Assistant Professor, SMU Dedman School of Law

SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, September 21, 2021 Time: 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. ET

Who wrote the Constitution? That’s obvious, we think 55 men in Philadelphia in 1787. But much of the Constitution was actually written later, in a series of 27 amendments enacted over the course of two centuries. Join the Brennan Center’s Wilfred Codrington and John Kowal as they discuss their new book, The People’s Constitution: 200 Years, 27 Amendments, and the Promise of a More Perfect Union.

This event is produced in partnership with the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy at Federal Hall.

Speakers: Wilfred Codrington, Fellow, Brennan Center; John Kowal, Vice President of Programs, Brennan Center

SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, September 23, 2021 Time: 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. ET

Twenty years after the attack, learn about what’s lost, what’s won, and what threatens us now. How have the events of 9/11 permanently altered the political landscape, the military landscape, and our rights to privacy?

This event is produced in partnership with the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy at Federal Hall.

Speakers: Spencer Ackerman, Contributing Editor, The Daily Beast, Publisher, Forever Wars newsletter on Substack; John Avlon, Senior Political Analyst, CNN; Faiza Patel, Co-director, Brennan Center Liberty & National Security Program

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, October 6, 2021 Time: 7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. CT

Please join Keisha N. Blain, in conversation with Donna Brazile, for the launch of Blain's new book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America.

This event is produced in partnership with the National Civil Rights Museum.

Speakers: Keisha N. Blain, Associate Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh, Author, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America; Donna Brazile, Veteran Political Strategist, Former Interim Chair, Democratic National Committee

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Time: 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. ET

Rep. Adam Schiff argues that the Trump presidency has so weakened our institutions and compromised the Republican Party that the peril will last for years. Join us as Schiff takes us inside his team of impeachment managers and their desperate defense of the constitution amid the rise of a distinctly American brand of autocracy.

Speaker: Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA 28th District; Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Moderator: Michael Waldman, President, Brennan Center for Justice