Constitution Day: Current Debates & Issues

This guide will address the origins and history of our government's foundational document, with its amendments. A variety of issues are discussed, from the process of writing and adoption, to current interpretations of the Constitution.

Changes Through Time

Deeper reading: How the Constitution has changed.

How the Constitution has Changed and Expanded by Sarah Pruitt for History.com Sarah Pruitt of History.com explains that "the U.S. Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified by nine of the original 13 states a year later, is the world’s longest-surviving written constitution. But that doesn’t mean it has stayed the same over time."

The Fourth Battle for the Constitution by Jeffery Rosen for The Atlantic According to Jeffery Rosen, the latest struggle to define America's founding charter will define the country for generations to come.

Debate: Should Supreme Court Justices Have Term Limits?

Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices Scholarly Journal Article
From the "²Dok" (Inter-Zwei-Doc) Blog.
According to the Constitution, all judges on the national courts of the United States serve “during good Behavior.” They can be removed by impeachment, and a statute allows a council of judges to take all cases away from judges who become mentally or physically disabled. Otherwise, the “good Behavior” provision is taken to mean that these judges have tenure in their positions for life.

Constitutional Law Topics: The Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant and Black Lives

Criminal Justice Discussion: The Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant: A Legal Introduction

From the Congressional Research Service

The Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant: A Legal Introduction
This Sidebar describes the process for and implications of obtaining a search warrant. It then examines the criminal offenses identified in the Mar-a-Lago warrant. Finally, this Sidebar analyzes presidential authority to declassify documents and the role of declassification for the crimes at issue.

Criminal Justice Discussion Topic:

How does the U.S. Constitution see Black Lives?

Constitutional Law—Do Black Lives Matter to the Constitution?
From the Western New England University School of Law.
A thorough comparison of our country's "two" Constitutions: the Constitution of the Founders vs. the Constitution of Emancipation. By Dr. Bruce K. Miller, Professor of Law at Western New England University's School of Law

Constitutional Studies: Scholarly Journal Articles

READ THE RESEARCH

Interested in scholarly articles, government resources, and reports?

Click the links below to view search results for

"U.S. Constitution":

Scholarly articles in the
Directory of Open-Access Journals (DOAJ)

National Archives - America's Founding Documents

Library of Congress - U.S. Constitution Primary Sources

Google Scholar - Scholarly books & articles

(Links will open tabs in other websites.)

Discussion: Business & Constitutional Rights

Business Discussion Topic:

Can Texas force hair-braiders to jump through hoops? Nope, says judge.

Discussion: The 2nd Amendment

The Fight to Bear Arms: European Journal of American Studies
The Second Amendment furnishes America with not just one of the most hotly debated lines in the United States’ canon of law but also a classic case of eighteenth century logic uncomfortably co-existing with twenty-first century reality and sensibility.

THIS RESEARCH OR "LIBGUIDE" WAS PRODUCED BY THE LIBRARIANS OF MONROE UNIVERSITY

EMAIL: library@monroeu.edu -- Bronx Campus (646) 393-8333 / New Rochelle Campus (914)-740-6437