Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence, Independence Institute
Professor Robert G. Natelson is a constitutional scholar and author.
Rob’s constitutional scholarship has been cited repeatedly by justices and parties at the U.S. Supreme Court—as well as by federal appeals courts, and at least 18 state supreme courts.
Rob’s research into the Constitution’s original meaning has carried him to libraries throughout the United States and in Britain, including four months at Oxford University. His books and articles span many different parts of the Constitution, including groundbreaking studies of the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Indian Commerce Clause, federalism, Founding-Era interpretation, regulation of elections, and the amendment process of Article V. He created the first-ever online bibliography for 18th century materials used in constitutional research. He is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (on Magna Carta). He contributed eight essays to the third edition of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution: five on the amendment procedure and one each on the Guarantee Clause, the Postal Clause, and the Recess Appointments Clause.
U.S. Supreme Court justices have relied explicitly on Rob’s research in 41 citations in 13 separate cases.
Associate Professor of Government, Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Hillsdale College in Washington, DC
Bradley C.S. Watson is Associate Professor of Government at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government of Hillsdale College in Washington, DC. Professor Watson’s books include Progressivism: The Strange History of a Radical Idea (Notre Dame, 2022/2020), Progressive Challenges to the American Constitution: A New Republic (Cambridge, 2020/2017), and Living Constitution, Dying Faith: Progressivism and the New Science of Jurisprudence (ISI, 2020/2009).
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Book Review: The People’s Justice
Justice Clarence Thomas. Few public figures have endured the pressure, press, and public responsibility of...
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The Second Amendment, From Bruen to Rahimi
On November 7, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in United States v....
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SCOTUS Orders: Social Media, Guns, and Redistricting
Even as the Court prepares to hear argument next week in two cases exploring the...
The False Doctrine of Inherent Sovereign Authority
Robert G. Natelson
This essay examines the hypothesis that the federal government and its departments and officials hold...
What Is Conservative Constitutionalism? A Fractured History Reveals an Uncertain Path Forward
Bradley C. S. Watson
A review of Johnathan O’Neill, Conservative Thought and American Constitutionalism Since the New Deal (Johns Hopkins...
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The Numbers Reveal a United Supreme Court, and a Few Surprises
As the United States Supreme Court concluded its 2022 term, the knives were already out....
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Federal Appellate Court Upholds State Ban on Gender Medicine for Minors
Recently, the Sixth Circuit upheld Tennessee’s ban on so-called gender-affirming medical interventions for minors. Of...
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Supreme Court Denunciations from the Left and Right are Misguided
Since the Supreme Court wrapped up business on June 30, liberals have condemned the just-ended...
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Missouri v. Biden: The Crossroads Between Misinformation and Free Speech
Judge Terry Doughty’s Fourth of July issuance of a preliminary injunction in the case Missouri...
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Tyler v. Hennepin County: Why This Seemingly Innocent Decision is Disquieting
A Supreme Court ruling, like many other things, may not be quite what it seems....