We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

United States Constitution, preamble

[W]e must never forget that it is a constitution we are expounding.

 McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. (4 Wheat.) 316, 407 (1819)

Studying the United States Constitution at the University of Minnesota

The United States Constitution is not only the basic law of the United States.  It has also inspired politicians, philosophers, and ordinary people around the world.  Scholars have devoted intense attention to the Constitution, its interpretation by the Supreme Court of the United States, and its impact on the people of the United States.  Although the Constitution and its interpretation are most intensely studied at law schools, faculty members throughout the University of Minnesota system engage in scholarship on all aspects of the Constitution and of constitutional law.

For its part, the Law School serves as a focus for the University of Minnesota system's examination of the Constitution and its social understanding among ordinary people throughout the United States.  True to its standing as one of the twenty finest law schools in America, the University of Minnesota Law School has boasted a strong tradition in constitutional law and in scholarship on constitutional issues.  In addition to publishing journals related to constitutional law, the Law School is home to Constitutional Commentary, the nation's leading peer-reviewed journal on constitutional law.  Its constitutional law scholars rank among the nation's most productive and insightful.  The Law School is home to numerous events related to constitutional law, ranging from In Order to Form a More Perfect Union (the University of Minnesota system's program in commemoration of Constitution Day 2005) to the Minnesota Law Review's 2005 symposium on institutional reform of the Supreme Court, Professor Jill Hasday's public law workshop, Professor Kristin Hickman's conference on state tax incentives for economic development, and With All Deliberate Speed: Brown II and Desegregation's Children, the Law School's conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the second Supreme Court decision styled Brown v. Board of Education.

Constitution Day, which will be commemorated on September 16 in 2005, is a perfect occasion on which to attend or watch In Order to Form a More Perfect Union, the better to learn about recent and forthcoming developments in the Supreme Court's constitutional jurisprudence.  Visitors to this website may enjoy armchair activities such as conducting a constitutional scavenger hunt or learning more about the constitutional status of American Indians or the constitutionality of the federal Constitution Day statute.  Visitors may also browse our pictorial gallery of historical images related to major constitutional controversies and decisions.  Throughout the year, we invite students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other friends of the Law School to learn more about constitutional topics by reading the Constitution itself or by consulting this website's research resources.

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A Note on the "Constitution Day" Statute

This website coordinates the University of Minnesota system's efforts to comply with section 111 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-447, § 111, 118 Stat. 2809, 3344-45 (2004), more colloquially known as the "Constitution Day" statute.  See also Notice of Implementation of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17 of Each Year, 70 Fed. Reg. 29,727 (May 24, 2005).  This website embodies the collective effort of faculty and staff members from the entire University of Minnesota system, ranging from the Law School and other schools and departments of the Twin Cities campus, to the University's coordinate campuses in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester.

Section 111 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act states in relevant part: "Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution."  Section 111 further requires that Constitution Day be commemorated on September 17, in honor of the day in 1787 on which the Constitution was signed.  In a year in which September 17 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, Constitution Day may be commemorated during the preceding or following week.  In 2005, September 17 falls on a Saturday.  The University of Minnesota Law School will stage a two-hour program, In Order to Form a More Perfect Union, on Friday, September 16.  Live webcasting of this program will take place at other locations throughout the University of Minnesota system, including the Twin Cities campus and the University's coordinate campuses in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester.  Individuals may also view the live webcast of In Order Form a More Perfect Union through this website.  Other Constitution Day programming will take place throughout the University of Minnesota system.  For further information on the University's compliance efforts with the Constitution Day statute, please send e-mail to Jim Chen, Associate Dean for Faculty at the Law School.

Whether the Constitution Day statute is itself constitutional presents an intriguing intellectual conundrum.  Professor Heidi Kitrosser has written an essay addressing this issue.

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