The Tompkins County Public Library is hosting a new series called “The Constitution: Rights to Know.”
The four-part program, led by local legal experts, will cover the Bill of Rights, voting, citizenship, and immigration. It will run through the end of 2025, with a discussion scheduled each month.
The first discussion is scheduled for September 18.
WSKG’s Aurora Berry spoke with one of the organizers, immigration law expert and retired Cornell University professor Stephen Yale-Loehr.
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AURORA BERRY: Thank you so much for being here.
STEPHEN YALE-LOEHR: Oh, glad to be here to share the information about this series.
AB: What should attendees expect from this program?
SYL: Well, for background, the U.S. Constitution is the fundamental law of the land. Everything flows from the U.S. Constitution. Concepts like due process and equal protection all come from the Constitution. All statutes and regulations have to comply with the Constitution, because if they do not, courts will strike them down. In this day and age, it's even more important than ever for people to know what rights they have under the Constitution. And the goal of this series is to help people understand their rights.
AB: Is there anything unexpected that you're hoping to bring forward during these discussions, anything that you think that folks might be surprised to learn?
SYL: Well, I think a lot of people don't know all the facets of the Constitution. For example, many people don't realize that women had the right to vote added to the Constitution only about 100 years ago. So I think that the Constitution is a living document, and it can be amended over time, and I think that's something that people may not have realized, and maybe this discussion series will help to prompt more thoughts about that.
AB: Something that stood out to me looking at this program was the emphasis on immigration and citizenship. Those topics take up two out of the four discussions that are scheduled right now. Tell me how that came to be the focus of those sessions.
SYL: I would say that immigration and citizenship are two elements of our Constitution that need discussion. Every person in the United States, whether they are a US citizen or even undocumented, has certain rights under the Constitution, including due process. And courts generally have upheld those rights, but there are attacks on immigrants these days, and we'll talk about whether the Constitution can curtail some of those attacks over time.
AB: Earlier you said that you know that this was a particularly important time to be thinking about the Constitution and to be talking about it. I'm wondering if you can tell me a little bit more about why you think it's so important for folks who aren't involved in law to be giving it that enhanced study at this time?
SYL: Well in the past, everybody, at least in high school, learned about the U.S government and the basic elements of the Constitution. But I think these days, understanding the Constitution and knowing your rights is more important than ever, and so I hope that we can educate the public through a discussion series to let people know what they can do to make sure that their rights are protected.
AB: What are you most excited to share during this series?
SYL: Well, it's been exciting for me just to go back to the fundamentals of the Constitution and various rights. So I'm excited that we're going to have this opportunity not just to tell people what their rights are, but to have an actual discussion. So we're looking forward to questions from the public about these four important aspects of the Constitution, and I hope it starts a dialogue that will continue after the series ends.
AB: Thank you so much for being here.
SYL: I really enjoyed it, and I hope a lot of people will come to the series.