Your Weekly Constitutional

The British Constitution may undergo some major changes in the next year or so. Law professors William Walton and James Gray from Northumbria University at Newcastle upon Tyne recently popped in to discuss several pressing issues facing our British cousins: Will Britain leave the EU? Lots of Britons want to. Will Scotland secede? It could happen -- many Scots want to chart a separate course. And don't forget: they've got the nuclear submarines. Even more significantly, perhaps, they've got Sean Connery on their side. Join us!

Chris Phillips is at it again: rousing the rabble by collecting various declarations - starting with our own Declaration of Independence - and putting them online. Not only that, he invites all of us to post our own declarations, which Stewart has already done. Chris, the author of Socrates Café and Constitution Café, has been on the show several times because he's always making trouble and we always have a good time when he tells us about it. After we finish our rabble-rousing, we spend a few minutes at Montpelier, visiting the ongoing work at the slave quarters and the newly-refurbished library where Madison conceived the Virginia Plan.

Why Tennessee? Why did the ratification of the 19th Amendment in August, 1920, come down to a Southern state that is not particularly noted for its progressive politics? Perhaps it had something to do with a little-known incident three years earlier, in 1917, when suffragist leader Maud Younger insisted upon her First Amendment right to speak at a courthouse in Knoxville. Tennessee lawyers didn't support her at first, but, inspired by her courage, the Tennessee Bar eventually came around. Knoxville attorney Wanda Sobieski tells us the tale.

Nazis! In America! A nightmare that could never happen? Nope - it did happen once. And Arnie Bernstein, author of "Swastika Nation," is here to tell us about it.

PolitiFact is a nonpartisan, Pulitzer-Prize-winning organization that checks out various claims made by politicians and pundits. You may have seen its famous Truth-O-Meter in your local newspaper or on your favorite news website. Some of those claims are constitutional. And we expect more of them as the country ramps up for the 2016 elections. So we've invited PolitiFact reporter Lauren Carroll to help us hook up some of those politicians and pundits to the Truth-O-Meter. This episode is a lot of fun. Join us!

Join us as we finish our fascinating discussion on Magna Carta with A.E. "Dick" Howard, one of the world's leading experts on the subject. Sorry - no Monty Python clips this week, but lots of other interesting stuff.

A.E. "Dick" Howard is among the world's leading authorities on constitutional law and the Magna Carta. He's also articulate, informative and funny. And timely -- after all, the Magna Carta just turned 800 years old. So join us for a lively and wide-ranging conversation on this foundational constitutional document. It'll be 800 years before we can do this again.

Tavaana is an organization devoted to cracking open one of the most repressive regimes in the world: the theocracy that controls Iran. One of Tavaana's founders, Mariam Memarsadeghi, will tell us how she's doing it - using a transformative tool called the Internet. Join us!

We generally think of James Madison (and most of our Founders) as a bunch of old men carved from marble and placed on pedestals. But guess what? They started out like the rest of us: they were kids and young adults before they became gray-haired and venerable. And what they learned as young people often had a profound effect on what they accomplished as adults. Michael Signer has written a fascinating book about the boyhood and youth of James Madison, which explores in detail how such a small, sickly, quiet man was able to take on powerful opponents like Patrick Henry and win. Preview: it took lots of hard work. Join us!

Why Thomas Jefferson? Specifically, why do we rely so much on T. Jeffy (and his buddy, Jemmy Madison) to speak for the Founders when it comes to religious freedom? Weren't there other Founders? Didn't they have different opinions? John Ragosta has done the research and written a book, and now he'll tell us all about it.

The United States Constitution creates what legal scholars typically call a "majoritarian" system of government. That is, the majority of voters typically controls the decisions made by the government. But the Constitution leaves one big issue largely unaddressed: who gets to vote? Professor Hank Chambers of the University of Richmond's law school helps us sort it all out.

Is it cruel and unusual punishment or a necessary correctional tool? We'll speak with law professor and attorney Alex Reinert, who recently forged a landmark settlement with the State of New York over the use of this controversial practice.

Religious Freedom Restoration Acts. Just what exactly are all of these RFRA's sprouting up all around the country? And how do these similar pieces of legislation, both national and state, fit into the First Amendment's protection of religious freedom? And then what about gay rights? It gets a bit complicated, so Doug McKechnie, our First Amendment Guy, is here to help us sort it all out. Thank Heaven.

You've heard of the Underground Railroad, the clandestine, loosely-organized network of people who helped slaves escape from the South before the Civil War. But Eric Foner knows more than you do. And now he's written a book about it: "Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad." Join us for a lively discussion with one of America's foremost historians.

Kids, and their parents, have constitutional rights, but the government has the power to protect its most vulnerable citizens. Sometimes those rights collide with that power, especially in cases of child abuse and neglect. This week, we'll examine one aspect of this important topic, the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. We'll also talk about a great educational program called We the People, through which kids learn about their constitutional rights and responsibilities. Join us!

In Part I, we told you about John Marshall, our first great Chief Justice, and the home he built in Richmond, Virginia. But we only had time to tour half of the house. Please join Stewart and Jen Hurst-Wender of Preservation Virginia as we finish our tour!

John Marshall wasn't the first, nor the second, nor even the third. He was actually the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. But he was the first great Chief Justice, and probably the greatest of all time. He was also a husband, a father, a slave owner and a renowned host. The many facets of Marshall's life are on display at the house he built in Richmond, Virginia, the city where he also built his career and spent most of his life. We recently went on a guided tour of the John Marshall House with Preservation Virginia's Jennifer Hurst-Wender. Now you can come along.

The Texas branch of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has proposed a specialty license plate. Texas has refused to produce one. Wait, isn't this a free speech issue? Doesn't the First Amendment apply? According to our First Amendment Guy, Doug McKechnie, it all depends upon who's doing the talking. Join us!

Only one of the original 13 states refused to ratify the Constitution. Do you know which one? Okay, now that you've looked at the picture, do you know why? Join us for a complete and entertaining explanation from Thomas Howard of the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier. It's a fascinating tale, with twists, turns and serious conflicts, some of which persist to this day.

Is the U.S. Constitution more than just law? More than politics? Is it, perhaps, literature? Maybe even an epic poem? Garrett Epps thinks so. Join us, and find out why.