Standish Library: American Revolution and Founding Era, 1765-1800: Constitution Cafe

Constitution Cafe

Constitution Café by Christopher Phillips; Brew Jefferson's
Call Number: JK31 .P45 2011
ISBN: 0393064808
Energized by the initial optimism surrounding Obama's presidency and, conversely, the fierce partisanship in Congress, Christopher Phillips has set out to engage Americans in discussions surrounding our must fundamental rights and freedoms, with some help from Thomas Jefferson.

Founders Constitution
Begin your assessment of The President Succession Plan with a review of the Founders' Constitution. Go to Volume 3: The Constitution (Part 2) and review the documents listed under Article 2, Section 1, Clause 6.

An Act Relative to the Election of a President and Vice-President, 1 Stat. 239 (1792) This 1792 Congressional Act appears in the "see also" section of the Founders' Constitution.

Professor Akhil Reed Amar
Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law in both Yale College and Yale Law School. His work has won awards from both the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society, and he has been cited by Supreme Court justices across the spectrum in more than three dozen cases.
Professor Howard M. Wasserman
Professor Wasserman teaches civil procedure, evidence, federal courts, civil rights, and First Amendment; he writes about the freedom of speech, the role of procedure and jurisdiction in public-law and civil-rights litigation, and recently on baseball’s Infield Fly Rule.

Government During Social Distancing Congress and the courts depend on meeting in-person, so how can they adjust to the coronavirus outbreak and the public health measures necessary to stop its spread – like social distancing – while continuing to meet their constitutional functions? Host Jeffrey Rosen explores that question with Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, who’s worked since the aftermath of 9/11 on emergency-preparedness recommendations for all three branches of government, and lawyer and podcast host Ken White, who sheds light on how the pandemic is affecting his clients and the courts more broadly.
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N.B.: The link leads directly to the podcast and includes a transcript of the discussion. I encourage you to listen, but also to read the transcript, which you can cite in your final paper.

Preserving Our Institutions: The Continuity of the Presidency Read the whole report to understand the history of the Succession Act and the recommendations made by the AEI.

House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on the Presidential Succession Act
In 2006, Congress debated implementing a change to the Presidential Succession Act.

Read pages 1-5, which include the testimony of Mr. Thomas H. Neale, and then read the Testimony and prepared statement of Professor Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School (p, 33-36).

Then, key word search both "Amar" and "Neale" to read the follow up questions asked by the Committee members and the responses of these witnesses.
Senate Hearings on The President Succession Act
The Committees on the Judiciary and Rules and Administration also vetted proposals to to alter The President Succession Act, including the AEI proposal.

Read Howard M. Wasserman's testimony (p. 14-15) and review his submitted statement. Again, do a keyword search through the record to review the questions put to Mr. Amar and Mr. Wasserman by the Senators and how these scholars responded.