Constitution Day 2014
"Has the U.S. Constitution Failed?"presented by ProfessorHoward Schweber
Hosted by American Democracy Foundation
Wisconsin Idea Room in the Education Building, 10 a.m.
The U.S. Constitution was intended to do several things: to establish a new national government that would have the capacity to carry out the will of the people; to strike an appropriate balance between central and local authorities; to define the limits of the powers of the national governments (and state governments after the XIVth Amendment was added) in order to safeguard essential liberties; and to create a framework for democratic politics that would channel and manage conflicts. It is arguably the case that in America today the Constitution that we have fails to deliver any of these essential goods. Is that the fault of our politicians, our media, our schools...or has the Constitution failed?
“The Constitution and the University General Counsel”presented by Ray Taffora, Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs
Hosted by UW Law School
Law Building Room 3250, 12 p.m.
A public university must conduct its business within the restrictions imposed by the U.S. Constitution. Given the scope of University activity, there are many instances where the Constitution affects how the University pursues its mission. Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs Raymond Taffora will discuss the interaction of University activity and the U.S. Constitution and share his insights on the role of the Office of Legal Affairs in such matters.
TALK TITLE TBA presented by Professor Cecelia Klingele
Hosted by UW Law School
Law Building Room 3260, 12 p.m.
Description:
Patents & the U.S. Constitution presented by Professor Pilar Ossorio
Hosted by UW Law School
Henry DeLuca Forum, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, 2 p.m.
Join us for a lively presentation from UW-Madison Professor of Law and Bioethics Pilar Ossorio on how the writers of the U.S. Constitution argued about whether the power to grant intellectual property (IP) should be included as one of Congress’s powers, why they decided that the U.S. should have IP, what the Constitution says about IP, and what types of rights patents, copyrights and trademarks (the major forms of IP) confer.
Screening of"Constitution USA with Peter Sagal: It’s a Free Country”
Hosted by Wisconsin Union Directorate Film, UW Law School, and American Democracy Foundation
Union South Marquee Theatre, 7 p.m.
In this hour, Peter explores the history of the Bill of Rights, and why each was included. He’ll look at several important rights cases in American history, involving freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to legal counsel, cases that have expanded or enforced basic liberties. He’ll also explore how technology, particularly the internet is challenging our right to privacy.