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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

In Defense of the Independent Judiciary

July 13, 2026 02:46 PM
Wheatley Fellow Thomas Griffith, former judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, writes on the constitutional responsibilities of the judiciary and the Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Barbara.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

The Case for Mercy

July 08, 2026 03:48 PM
As America celebrates its 250 year-old legacy, Wheatley Fellow Shima Baughman makes a case for the future: "whether liberty endures will depend on whether we remain a people capable of mercy".
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Revisiting the Fourth of July

July 06, 2026 04:54 PM
Does the Fourth of July belong to all of us? "Fredrick Douglass today would emphatically answer: Yes, it [does]," Wheatley Fellow Bradley Reberio states. "The better question to ask, then, is whether we are living up to what the Declaration demands of us today."
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Conscience, Unity, and the US Constitution

July 06, 2026 03:53 PM
Can the US Constitution heal a fractured country?


Wheatley Fellows Justin Collings and Thomas Griffith examine the question in their new op-ed, "A republic of neighbors: How moral agency and community can heal our divided nation".
1 Min Read
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Constitution

As America Turns 250, It’s Time to Strengthen Our Civic Muscles

July 02, 2026 04:43 PM
Director Paul Edwards Authors Op-Ed in Deseret News
1 Min Read
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A Conversation With Heather Gerken

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, October 20
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Constitution

The Two Battlefields of American Politics

June 17, 2026 01:28 PM
Why have recent political victories— both Republican and Democrat— been so short-lived? It may be because voter support varies when it comes to long-term policy stances vs current cultural and identity issues.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Wheatley Institute Director Paul Edwards Joins New Braver Angels Advisory Council

June 12, 2026 01:31 PM
Paul Edwards, Director of Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University, has been announced as part of a brand-new advisory council at Braver Angels, a nation-wide organization dedicated to cross-partisan bridge building, the practice of "courageous citizenship", and depolarization. Edwards is joined by 22 other committee members, some of whom include:
2 Min Read
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Constitution

What is the Role of Cultural Elites in America's Toxic Polarization?

June 08, 2026 05:33 PM
In May, students, professors, and guests gathered to listen to Bret Stephens— author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and New York Times columnist— speak on the role of the cultural elite in American polarization. The lecture was hosted by Wheatley Institute, the BYU Political Science Department, and the Initiative for Peacemaking, and served as the opening keynote for the 2026 Brigham Young University Peacemaking Conference.
3 Min Read
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