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Supreme Court
First Amendment
Constitution
National Constitution Center
Executive Power
Declaration Of Independence
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Thomas Jefferson
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Slavery
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Pursuit Of Happiness
Separation Of Powers
Reconstruction
Donald Trump
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American Revolution
Civil Rights Movement

A weekly show from the National Constitution Center hosted by Julie Silverbrook and Tom Donnelly where listeners can hear the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional issues at the center of American life.

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Artwork for We the People

Latest Episodes

The National Constitution Center previews the Supreme Court’s 2026-2027 term. Masha Hansford, partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, and Greg Stohr, Supreme Court reporter for Bloomberg News, join to break down the bigg... more

Frederick Douglass is remembered as one of the most powerful orators in American history, a leading voice for abolition, and an extraordinary champion of equal rights. He was also one of the 19th century’s most important thinkers about freedom of spe... more

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In this episode, Joseph Blocher of Duke University School of Law and Clark Neily of the Cato Institute trace the ongoing debates over the Second Amendment. They analyze recent Supreme Court decisions on this key provision, preview a case on the Court... more

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In this special Constitution Day episode, author William Magnuson discusses his latest book, The Just and the Good: How Law Made the Western World, which is a sweeping tour of the history of the law. He explores how the pillars of the rule of law wer... more

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Recent Guests

Clark Neily
Senior Vice President for Legal Studies at the Cato Institute; former co-counsel in Heller
Cato Institute
Episode: The Past, Present, and Future of the Second Amendment
Joseph Blocher
Lanty L. Smith, 67 Distinguished Professor of Law at Duke Law School; Faculty Director and Co-Founder of the Duke Center for Firearms Law
Duke University School of Law
Episode: The Past, Present, and Future of the Second Amendment
William Magnuson
Professor of law at Texas A&M Law School; author
Texas A&M University
Episode: William Magnuson on The Just and the Good: How Law Made the Western World
Geoffrey Stone
Edward H. Levy Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
Episode: The State of Free Speech in 2026
Eugene Volokh
Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, UCLA School of Law
UCLA School of Law; Hoover Institution
Episode: The State of Free Speech in 2026
Mary Sarah Bilder
Founders Professor of Law, Boston College Law School; historian on the early history of the Constitution
Boston College Law School
Episode: Mary Sarah Bilder on the Origins of the Bill of Rights
Orin Kerr
Stella W and Ira Lilick Professor at Stanford Law School and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution
Stanford Law School; Hoover Institution
Episode: Chatrie and the Future of the Fourth Amendment
Fergus Bordewich
Historian and author of Centennial, The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America's Future
Author
Episode: Fergus Bordewich on Centennial and the Great Fair of 1876
Rosemarie Zagarri
Historian, George Mason University
George Mason University
Episode: Rosemarie Zagarri on The Declaration’s Grievances

Hosts

Julie Silverbrook
Host of We the People; National Constitution Center
Tom Donnelly
Host of We the People; law professor at University of Richmond (affiliation noted with NCC)

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 1.1k ratings
  • Please get some vocal training

    ValleySpeak, especially the harsh vocal fry, is extremely grating and detracts from the content.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    SaraB3301
    United States4 months ago
  • Used to be my favorite show

    What happened to this podcast? Please return to primarily debating Supreme Court arguments and opinions with an occasional historical show.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    DJ French Fry
    United States6 months ago
  • Used to be about debate

    Jeff used to host regular, weekly debates on current constitutional questions between reputable scholars who engaged with ideas, not ideology.

    These days it seems to be a weekly history lesson with occasional focused debate over an immediate issue.

    I feel they are trying to avoid controversy and neglecting their mission.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Daishi52
    United States6 months ago
  • Afraid of discussing important cases

    This used to be one of my favorite podcasts, but since early 2025 they’ve shied away from discussing the actual merits of arguments being made. This is doubly true for issues that the current administration has strong feelings about. I’m not saying they’re partisan, but you can tell they’re playing it safe since they’re “chartered by congress”. It’s sad to see. I really appreciated hearing opposing opinions for the most hotly debated issues. There’s tons of podcasts out there that cover historic... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    chadley426
    United States6 months ago
  • This is the most persistently disappointing podcast I know of. The topics are consistently interesting, and I'm always eager to learn more about them. The discussions seem like a boring overly officious polite class, rather than engaging and provocative. Maybe it's so eager to be non-partisan that it's pablum. It's certainly notable today that as we go through huge changes, I don't hear any meaningful challenge, nor do I gain an appreciation of other views. Rome crumbles and I hear blah bl... more

    Podcast Addict
    2
    Winston Smith
    8 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some critique a perceived drift toward historical storytelling over debate.
Listeners appreciate the balanced, scholarly discourse and civic context.
Positive feedback highlights thoughtful moderation and diverse expert guests.
A number of listeners express frustration with perceived partisanship in recent episodes.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

William Magnuson on The Just and the Good: How Law Made the Western World
Q: Why did you choose to write this particular book?
Magnuson explains that his interest began in law school, where he wondered where foundational ideas of Western law came from and how those ideas evolved from earlier societies, not just how they exist today.
Mary Sarah Bilder on the Origins of the Bill of Rights
Q: Walk us through Madison's evolution from parchment barriers to a more expansive conception of rights.
Madison moves from viewing rights as mere parchment barriers written to constrain government to a belief that rights must be real, protected, and applicable beyond the federal government; he pushes for a carefully crafted set of amendments that would interweave with the Constitution rather than merely appended at the end.
Chatrie and the Future of the Fourth Amendment
Q: Orin, you've called Chatrie a blockbuster and the most important Supreme Court decision on the Fourth Amendment and new technology today. Why is this case such a big deal, and yet so few people are paying attention to it?
The case reframes Fourth Amendment privacy for a networked world by treating data that people share with third parties as potentially protected when it involves highly sensitive, precise location history, and it challenges the traditional third-party doctrine in a way that broadens the scope of what needs a warrant.
What the 2025-2026 Supreme Court Term Revealed About the Roberts Court
Q: How did the guests describe Justice Barrett's approach this term?
Barrett is seen as an incrementalist and doctrinalist who focuses on fitting doctrinal pieces together and prefers narrow, precise resolutions over broad constitutional overhauls.
What the 2025-2026 Supreme Court Term Revealed About the Roberts Court
Q: What did Masha Hansford identify as a key shift in the Court's approach to Fourth Amendment doctrine?
She pointed to Chatree as a landmark expansion of Fourth Amendment protections, moving beyond Carpenter and reshaping how privacy expectations apply to data held by tech companies, signaling a broader recalibration of surveillance jurisprudence.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About We the People

What is We the People about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A weekly program exploring constitutional questions through balanced debates with prominent scholars, historians, and legal experts. Episodes frequently feature deep dives into the text, history, and practical implications of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration, and related governance issues, with fresh perspectives from law professors, judges, and national historians. Listeners can expect rigorous, idea-driven conversations that illuminate complex topics—from executive power and separation of powers to civil rights, birthright citizenship, and the role of the judiciary—often framed with historical context and global comparisons. Notable strengths include a strong cadre of academic guests, clear moderating, and a consistent emphasis on c... more

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We the People launched 21 years ago and published 642 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on We the People?

Recent guests on We the People include:

1. Clark Neily
2. Joseph Blocher
3. William Magnuson
4. Geoffrey Stone
5. Eugene Volokh
6. Mary Sarah Bilder
7. Orin Kerr
8. Fergus Bordewich

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