Pamela S. Karlan and Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz Debate Constitutional Interpretation

The average lifespan of constitutions around the world since 1789 is 17 years, Stanford Law School professor and ACS Board member Pamela Karlan told an audience during a debate on constitutional interpretation, in celebration of the U.S. Constitution's 223rd anniversary. Our constitution has endured as long as it has because our interpretational methods are adaptable to changes in cultural norms, she explained during the event, which was centered on Keeping Faith with the Constitution, the book she coauthored with Goodwin Liu and Christopher Schroeder. The book was first published by ACS last year and republished this summer by Oxford University Press with a new chapter on the First Amendment. Debating Karlan was Georgetown University law professor and Federalist Society member Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz. Senior Editor Dahlia Lithwick, who moderated the panel, said in re-reading Keeping Faith, she "came away with the stunning, chilling feeling that, man, the Constitution is cool."