Constitution

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.

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.

Constitution Director James Phillips writes for National Review

In his recent Deseret News op-ed, Wheatley Institute Fellow Jeremy Pope explores what truly sets America apart—not its power, but its founding principles. He argues that the nation's exceptionalism lies in the revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality, and self-government articulated between 1765 and 1800. At a time when political rhetoric can obscure these foundations, his piece is a timely reminder of the enduring value of America’s constitutional commitments.

Wheatley Institute partnered with the BYU International Center for Law and Religion Studies to host the 2025 Religious Freedom Annual Review. This year's theme was Religion, Peace, and Human Flourishing: Understanding the Whys of Religious Freedom. The Annual Review brought a broad array of perspectives to this issue, with religious, media, academic, legal, and thought leaders. These exerts addressed several questions. What role does religion play in building peace and fostering human flourishing? How does religious freedom’s respect for both individual choice as well as the human dignity of all increasingly matter in a fractious world? Experts on religious freedom and peacemaking explored the interconnections.

In his latest opinion piece for The Washington Post, Wheatley Fellow and former U.S. Senator Jeff Flake reflects on the importance of congressional leadership in shaping American foreign policy. He underscores the need for principled engagement on the global stage and calls on lawmakers to uphold the values that have long guided U.S. diplomacy.

Wheatley Institute Constitutional Government Director, James Phillips, wrote a blog post today for The Federalist Society regarding the Supreme Court yesterday denying a petition for certiorari in Apache Stronghold v United States. Justice Gorsuch argued in his dissent from the denial, joined by Justice Thomas, that allowing the lower court’s ruling to stand poses a threat to religious liberty.

Wheatley Institute and BYU Political Science Department were pleased to host Mónica Guzmán as the keynote speaker for the first annual Initiative for Peacemaking Peace Conference.