The Constitution, like the Roman god Janus, faces in two directions. One face is oriented towards the Supreme Court. The Court has long dominated how we think and talk about the Constitution. The other face of the Constitution is oriented towards ordinary citizens and towards politics. Studies of constitutionalism focus on the larger social and political structures within which the Constitution and the Supreme Court are embedded.
The two panels will provide a snapshot of constitutionalism scholarship. The first panel will focus on ordinary citizens and how they help shape the meaning of the Constitution.