Binding the American people together for nearly 250 years, the Constitution of the United States and its 27 amendments have remained at the heart of American democracy. Today, however, in times of increasingly vitriolic political partisanship, even the Constitution is not immune to scrutiny. An age-old question is as germane today as ever: is the Constitution to be read based on the founders’ intent, or as a living-document that has changed as American society has changed? And in the process of answering that question, another one presses: what is the role of the judicial branch in this effort?

In honor of Constitution Day 2019, the Hauenstein Center and partners the Ford Foundation and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum & Library welcomed Jeffrey Rosen, a scholar whom the Los Angeles Times calls “the nation’s most widely read and influential legal commentator.” Rosen serves as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center. In light of the looming 2020 election, he shared his insights into the future of the Constitution and the Supreme Court in our increasingly challenged democracy.