What was the founders' conception of the role of Congress? Was that conception clearly understood? To what degree was that conception followed during our nation's early years and to what degree did early Congresses follow the Constitution? To what degree were members of Congress representing their districts and to what degree were they representing national interests? In what ways did the Senate and the House originally operate differently? Originally, the prevailing view was that “the laws that free men live under are the laws that have been hauled up." In other words, we are ruled by the laws that we and our neighbors made. Was this ever true?
Showcase Panel I: The Original View of Congress
--Prof. Akhil R. Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale University
--Dr. Louis Fisher, Scholar in Residence, the Constitution Project
--Prof. Tara J. Helfman, Associate Professor of Law, Syracuse University College of Law
--Dr. Gordon Lloyd, Robert and Katheryn Dockson Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy
--Moderator: Hon. James L. Buckley, U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit (ret.) and former U.S. Senator
