Constitution Day Speaker on Our Polarized Times

By Michael Trotti, September 16, 2024

Wednesday, 18 Sept., 5pm, Textor 102

Does the Constitution protect democracy? It is centered upon the idea that authority comes from the people, yet it also has long-standing undemocratic features that govern elections. What is the best path to support and defend the People and their rights? We will hear from a scholar who studies these issues. Please join us.

Consitution Day Poster

IC welcomes Professor Suzanne Mettler to give our annual Constitution Day talk! In this election year, Dr. Mettler will focus on one of the most pressing issues facing us: how our growing divisions threaten democracy, and the Constitution's uneven protections of it.

The event is in Textor Hall, 102, and is free and open to the public. It will begin promptly at 5pm. She will speak for approximately 40 minutes, followed by a Question and Answer period from the audience.

Dr. Mettler is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University. She is the author of six books, including, most recently, Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), co-authored with Robert C. Lieberman. She is completing a new book, Polarized by Place: How the Rural-Urban Divide Emerged and How It Threatens American Democracy, with Trevor Brown.