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.
Erin Gaide is an Assistant Attorney General in the Kansas Office of the Attorney General, where she is a member of the Special Litigation & Constitutional Issues Division. Before beginning with the Kansas Attorney General, Erin clerked for the Honorable Allison H. Eid of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Erin earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from the College of Law William & Mary, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She earned her B.A., cum laude, in International Studies from the Ohio State University.
Associate, Wiley Rein LLP
Joel S. Nolette is an associate at Wiley Rein LLP, where he advocates on behalf of corporate and individual clients in a broad spectrum of complex litigation matters. In 2017, Joel graduated cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as the Editor in Chief of Volume 15 of the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy. From 2019 to 2021, Joel clerked for the Honorable Raymond W. Gruender of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; and from 2021 to 2022, he clerked for the Honorable Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Before attending law school, Joel graduated summa cum laude from Gordon College in Wenham, MA, with his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and worked as a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service.
Eric Criss is an independent scholar who recently published The Boss of New Orleans: Martin Behrman and Machine Politics in the Crescent City with the LSU Press. He taught advanced public policy at Florida State University, where he earned his PhD in history. Eric earned his MA in Government at John's Hopkins University and BA in Political Science at the University of Florida. Eric began his career with U.S. Senators Don Nickles of Oklahoma and Phil Gramm of Texas at the National Republican Senatorial Committee in Washington, D.C. He later served as staff member or consultant to Fortune 500 corporations, political parties, and presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial campaigns.
Private Freedom Plane Exhibit Viewing: Celebrating America 250 & Colorado 150
Colorado Lawyer Chapter
Denver, COTopics
Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic: Benefits are not Rights
Does an individual Medicaid beneficiary have a legal right, enforceable in civil litigation against the...
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The Ministerial Exception’s Unrealized Promise of Early and Straightforward Resolution of Church Autonomy Matters
The ministerial exception in employment cases is a subpart of the church autonomy doctrine. The...
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Say the Magic Word, Counselor: Oral Argument in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
On Wednesday, April 2, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Medina v. Planned Parenthood...
Applying the Founders' Originalism
Robert G. Natelson
The 1787 Federal Convention drafted, and the ratifiers approved, the United States Constitution under the...
Is Voting in Kansas a Fundamental Right? Kansas Supreme Court Weighs In
Erin Steinhilber
Those who do not spend their days thinking about election law may be surprised to...
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Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms Include Two That Are Real
Franklin Roosevelt delivered his eighth State of The Union Address in January of 1941. The...
Standing Doctrine and Original Meaning at the Alabama Supreme Court
Joel S. Nolette
Within certain limits,[1] our federalist system leaves states free to give their branches of...
Integrity or Interference?: Evaluating the Constitutionality of Georgia's Election Integrity Act
Eric Criss
Recent political earthquakes such as the assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump and President...
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Is Texas Being Invaded?: Congressional Hearing Testimony Examines the Southern Border Crisis
Texas Governor Greg Abbott argues that “[t]he failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties...