Civil Society Organizations in the UK Join Attend Conference

Living Peaceably: Religious Freedom as a Foundation for Civic Harmony

Judge Thomas Griffith, a Wheatley Institute Fellow, played an extraordinary role today in introducing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Judge Griffith’s introduction was a stirring defense of the Rule of Law and democracy as he showed support of Judge Jackson’s nomination.

We are designed for love. We’re designed to experience love eternally. This is joy. And that is grounded in family relationships, mothers, fathers, children bound together eternally. I think it’s so beautiful.

The Constitution is foundational to what we all love about America. Arizona State professor Paul Carrese noted in a lecture at the Wheatley Institute last year that “our very complex constitutional system of separation of powers and federalism inherently call for civil disagreement over both long-term and day-to-day political issues.” So, understanding the rights underlying our constitutional system and how they protect people who disagree with us is critical.

These findings hint at a generational transformation in how Americans relate to political legitimacy. Older Americans are unified in their faith in the Constitution. Middle-aged Americans are split by education, sorted into different legitimacy frameworks. And younger Americans are divided and diverse, with no dominant view and increasing weight placed on personal belief and public opinion.