Dartmouth Events

The U.S. constitutional story is one of progress and promise. The Constitution was written by revolutionaries and amended by those who prevailed in key historical struggles – post-Civil War Reconstruction Republicans, early 20th Century Progressives and women’s vote advocates, the Civil Rights and student movements of the 1950s and 1960s. America’s progress is literally written across the face of its national charter. But the Constitution’s promise has not always been a reality, and the nation’s courts – especially the Supreme Court – have been and continue to be vital players in determining whether constitutional guarantees are real or merely paper dreams for many Americans.

• Charting the U.S. Constitution’s story of progress and promise
• The role the Supreme Court plays in interpreting and enforcing constitutional guarantees
• The historical roots of the pressing constitutional issues of our time – federalism, equality, and inclusion – and what’s on the horizon

Elizabeth is Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC)’s President. From 2008-2016, she served as CAC's Chief Counsel. A graduate of Claremont McKenna College and Yale Law School, Wydra joined CAC from private practice at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in San Francisco, where she was an attorney working with former Stanford Law School Dean Kathleen Sullivan in the firm’s Supreme Court/appellate practice. Wydra’s legal practice focuses on Supreme Court litigation and high-stakes cases in the federal courts of appeals. She has represented CAC as well as clients including congressional leaders, preeminent constitutional scholars and historians, state and local legislators and government organizations, and groups such as Justice at Stake, League of Women Voters, and AARP. Wydra appears frequently in print and on air as a legal expert for outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX, BBC, and NPR.

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who, are born in the U.S. or by naturalization, have become citizens.