Race and the 1L Curriculum: Constitutional Law

Professors Matt Adler, Joseph Blocher, and Ernie Young engage in a panel discussion with Christina Duffy Ponsa-Kraus, George Welwood Murray Professor of Legal History at Columbia Law School, exploring a range of constitutional issues-typically uncovered in the 1L curriculum-that arose in the decades following the Civil War and Reconstruction. Professor Ponsa-Kraus discusses some of the legal questions surrounding the status of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, including in particular the history and continuing relevance of the century-old Insular Cases. Professor Young in turn will discuss the failure of the 14th Amendment to prevent the collapse of Reconstruction or provide anything like equal rights to black Americans for the better part of a century, as well as the implications of that failure for constitutional law and theory. The event is followed by questions and discussion amongst the panel and audience.

This event is part of the series on Race and the 1L Curriculum.

Sponsored by the Office of the Dean.

Originally recorded on February 23, 2021.