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Constitution

Research, reports, and lectures from Wheatley Institute
"[The Constitution] must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties."
-Abraham Lincoln
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Constitution

Learning to Disagree in a Pluralistic Society

September 18, 2025 07:28 PM
I hope that these small steps for each of us individually, will move us forward to a different kind of politics, where we can live out our commitments across deep and genuine differences, and rediscover the common ground that makes so much of life possible, and sometimes even beautiful.
2 Min Read
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Constitution

The Constitution Is Not Partisan — It Protects Us All

September 17, 2025 11:17 AM
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.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Americans Are Losing a Shared Sense Of What Makes Government Action Legitimate

September 16, 2025 10:44 AM
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.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Resources for Peacemaking

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Constitution

In the Framers We Trust

September 12, 2025 12:38 PM
"The Convention’s rules assumed that if you brought people together and had them listen to one another, they’d change their minds...The Framers became friends who were willing to engage in good faith negotiations and seek mutual accommodations for the sake of unity."
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Turn Toward Each Other: A Utah Response to Tragedy

September 11, 2025 12:40 PM
Utahns have a long tradition of showing up with compassion and caring for each other. We each have a role and a responsibility here. We can choose dignity over division. We can disagree better. We can heal together.
1 Min Read
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Religion

The Tension Between Faith and Democracy

August 21, 2025 02:37 PM
Earlier this year, Wheatley Institute hosted journalist and author Jonathan Rauch for a lecture about his book Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Annual Law Student Seminar 2025: Divinely Inspired Constitutional Principles

August 13, 2025 05:34 PM
Wheatley Institute hosted our 2025 Divinely Inspired Constitutional Principles Law Student Seminar, with law students from universities around the country. Students heard from authorities and officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as Wheatley Fellows and BYU professors who taught about the principles emphasized in President Dallin H. Oaks's April 2021 General Conference talk on the Constitution.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Peter’s Pence and Church Autonomy

July 31, 2025 11:41 AM
Constitution Director James Phillips writes for National Review
1 Min Read
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