Lost But Not Forgotten: Reviving the Original Meaning of the Constitution
Recorded on May 18, 2005
Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium
Our form of constitutionalism implies that those who make,
interpret and enforce the law ought to be guided by the original
meaning of the supreme law of the land, the United States
Constitution. This view was undermined in the last century with the
rise of the theory of the Constitution as a "living document" with
no fixed meaning, subject to changing interpretations according to
the spirit of the times. The ensuing debate and ongoing revival of
"originalism" - sparked two decades ago by a series of public
speeches by then-Attorney General Edwin Meese III - is one of the
most significant shifts in modern American political and legal
thought. What is originalism, and can it be restored in our
constitutional jurisprudence? How can a jurisprudence of
originalism address and deal with the established precedents of the
last few decades? Is it too late for the original Constitution?