Ini-Oluwa Adegbayi ’28
Staff Writer
On Thursday, Sep. 17 the Trinity College Public Policy & Law (PBPL) Department hosted a Constitutional Day panel discussion in Dangremond Commons bringing together faculty from across the College to examine how the Constitution has changed and how its interpretation continues to shape Americans’ lives today.
The panel, titled “The Constitution From 1787 to 2026,” was open to all Trinity students and faculty. The discussion featured Shane Gleason, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Law, who moderated the panel; Professor Lucius Couloute of the Sociology Department; Professor Mary Dudas of the Political Science Department; and Professor Glenn Falk of the Public Policy Department.
Constitution Day is observed each year on Sept. 17, commemorating the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. All colleges and universities in the United States that receive federal funding are required by law to provide an educational program concerning the Constitution for their students on or around that date. The law does not explicitly provide a definition for what such an “educational program” should look like.
This legislation is part of an omnibus spending bill known as the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005,” (Section 111 of Division J of Pub. L. 108-447) which went into effect the following academic year.
This year’s panel used the occasion to move beyond simply discussing the text of the Constitution. Instead, the professors examined how the document has been interpreted over time and how those interpretations have affected different groups of Americans.
Gleason began the conversation with the “Living Constitution” approach, which views constitutional meaning as capable of evolving as society changes. He contrasted the United States of 1787 with the country today, pointing to changes in population, government power and voting rights. Using the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against “cruel and usual punishments” as an example, he questioned how constitutional language written centuries ago could be applied to modern circumstances.
After Gleason, Dudas discussed originalism, an approach that emphasizes the Constitution’s original meaning or historical understanding. She explained that originalism can take several forms, including examining the text itself, the historical meaning of particular words and the practices of the period in which the Constitution was written.
Falk shifted the discussion toward Native American experiences, examining the Constitution’s treatment of Indigenous peoples and the federal government’s role in regulating relations with Native nations. His discussion also considered how constitutional principles and government politics affected Native communities throughout American history.
Couloute focused on the lived experiences of Black Americans, particularly their interactions with the criminal justice system. Drawing on an interview he hosted with a Black man from rural Florida, Couloute examined the meaning of constitutional protections such as due process and equal protection when individuals encounter the justice system in significantly different ways.
Ultimately, the panel explored the Constitution not simply as a historical document, but as a framework with interpretation that continues to affect people’s lives.
