Think Tank
In Brief
CAC produces scholarship showing that the Constitution’s text and history command progressive results. Through our expert commentary, issue briefs, in-depth think tank series, and in testimony to Congress, we inform the public and America’s elected leaders with comprehensive accounts of the most contentious and timely topics in modern constitutional and federal law.
As Yale Law Professor and CAC Advisor Jack M. Balkin has said:
“[T]he folks at the Constitutional Accountability Center have been showing liberals and progressives why originalism is important to a progressive vision of the Constitution. In the world of ideas, winning people over takes time and persistence. It requires devotion to what you believe in and a determination to make the best arguments you can. Success is not guaranteed, but if you don’t make the effort, you will have no influence.”
Text and History Narratives
Every provision of the Constitution has a narrative, a story of the people, events, and cases behind its drafting and passage, and of the debates, both in the courts and the political branches, about its meaning. Through this series, CAC tells the most important and compelling stories about our founding document and efforts to improve it over the years.
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Laying Claim to the Constitution: The 2021 Edition
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“We Do Not Want to be Hunted”: The Right To Be Secure and Our Constitutional Story of Race and Policing
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The Keystone of the Arch: The Text and History of Article III and the Constitution's Promise of Access to Courts
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Corporations and the Supreme Court
CAC’s long-term study of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its record before the Roberts Court
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QUICK TAKE: Corporate Interests at the Supreme Court, 2023-2024 Term
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Lopsided Success for Corporate Interests: The New Normal Under the Supreme Court’s Conservative Supermajority (2022-2023 Term)
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QUICK TAKE: The Chamber of Commerce at the Supreme Court: 2020-2021
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The Roberts Court at 10
In June 2015, John Roberts finished his tenth year as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In this series, through an exploration of the votes he has cast, the decisions he has written, and the way he has led the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary, CAC offers insights into whether Roberts has lived up to the promises he made during his confirmation hearings.
The Constitution at a Crossroads
In the first 10 years of the Roberts Court, many of its landmark cases split sharply along ideological lines. In this series, CAC attempts to map and describe the divisions in both ideology and judicial philosophy on the Roberts Court, and examine how those divides have impacted the Court’s answers to important questions about the meaning of our Constitution.
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Chapter 10
Federalism and Immigration: Will the Court Choose Federal Uniformity or States’ Rights in Immigration Law?
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Chapter 9
Will the Supreme Court Continue to Chip Away At, or Overrule, the Constitution’s Protection of Reproductive Choice?
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Chapter 8
The Meaning of Equal: Does the Constitution Prohibit Discrimination on the Basis of Gender and Sexual Orientation?
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