Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Dr. Nicholas P. Cole, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford, on his study of state constitutional history:
"I want to start by bemoaning the lack of attention to state constitutional history and arrangements — and that's why a lot of my time is now spent working on state constitutional history. There are very, very few books — by my count, maybe as few as four or five — written about the process of writing state constitutions, and yet these documents are really, really important. In some ways, the emphasis on the federal government has eclipsed a really, really important story at the state level about republican government. I think the idea of properly republican government lives better, in many ways, at the state level… But I think there is a really important story about state government that needs to be told."
Dr. Nicholas P. Cole, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford, on his study of state constitutional history:
"I want to start by bemoaning the lack of attention to state constitutional history and arrangements — and that's why a lot of my time is now spent working on state constitutional history. There are very, very few books — by my count, maybe as few as four or five — written about the process of writing state constitutions, and yet these documents are really, really important. In some ways, the emphasis on the federal government has eclipsed a really, really important story at the state level about republican government. I think the idea of properly republican government lives better, in many ways, at the state level… But I think there is a really important story about state government that needs to be told."
![[LIVE] Did the Constitution Lay the Groundwork for Abolition?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iBx0JWFGE8Q/mqdefault.jpg "[LIVE] Did the Constitution Lay the Groundwork for Abolition?
As the nation marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, renewed attention has turned to what our Constitution, ratified just over a decade later, said about slavery. Critics have long argued that the Framers—by ratifying the Fugitive Slave Clause, the Slave Trade Clause, and the Three-Fifths Compromise—entrenched slavery in the Constitution. Yet others point to the anti-slavery sentiments of many of the Founders and argue that the Constitution provided a roadmap to contain and ultimately abolish slavery.
This webinar will examine that debate. Did the Constitution entrench slavery, or did its compromises reflect a strategy of containment, one aimed at letting the institution wither rather than confronting it directly at the Founding? How should provisions like the Fugitive Slave Clause be reconciled with the anti-slavery views of key Founders, and what should we make of the gap between those views and the Founders’ conduct?
Featuring:
• Timothy Sandefur, Vice President for Legal Affairs, Goldwater Institute
• Prof. Kenneth Williams, Professor and Fred Gray Endowed Chair for Civil Rights and Constitutional Law, Texas Tech University School of Law
• (Moderator) Hon. Cory Liu, State District Judge, Austin, Texas
Register for the live webinar at https://fedsoc.org/events/did-the-constitution-lay-the-groundwork-for-abolition
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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.")
![[LIVE] Originalism and State Constitutions](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iZFvV6XJQ4s/mqdefault.jpg "[LIVE] Originalism and State Constitutions
Originalism has quickly become the leading approach to interpreting the U.S. Constitution, drawing from the work of Justice Antonin Scalia and others over the past three decades. But what place does originalism have in the states?
State constitutions often contain unique provisions that have no federal analogue. Take Alaskas unique constitutional provision empowering grand juries to investigate matters of public welfare and safety and to issue reports. This power falls outside the traditional role grand juries play and raises interesting questions. Recent scholarship published by the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy explores the text, history, and tradition behind this provision, offering a window into how originalism might operate differently at the state level.
What lessons can be drawn about the similarities between originalist interpretation of state constitutions and the federal constitution? Does originalism look different from state to state and between state and federal governments? How might judges and scholars take up the originalist mantle and shed light on other underexplored state constitutional provisions? Join our panel of experts as they explore how originalism is playing out in the states.
Featuring:
• Dr. Nicholas Cole, Senior Research Fellow, Pembroke College, University of Oxford; Director, the Quill Project
• Hon. Stephen Cox, Attorney General, Alaska
• Prof. Richard Garnett, Paul J. Schierl Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame Law School
• Savannah Shoffner, J.D. Candidate, Notre Dame Law School
• (Moderator) Hon. John D. Couriel, Justice, Florida Supreme Court
• (Introducer) Sean-Michael Pigeon, Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy
Register for the live webinar at https://fedsoc.org/events/originalism-and-state-constitutions
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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.")
