RIT celebrates Constitution Day

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In celebration of what has been called the “supreme law of the United States,” Rochester Institute of Technology’s political science department will host two presentations on religious liberty and constitutional morality to observe the 10th anniversary of Constitution Day.

Leading this year’s discussion at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Gosnell Hall, room 1250, is Bruce Frohnen, associate professor of law at Ohio Northern University College of Law. Frohnen will present “The Constitution and Religious Liberty,” as The David Aldrich Nelson Lecture on Constitutional Jurisprudence. His talk is sponsored by RIT’s Center for Statesmanship, Law and Liberty, and supported by The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization.

Immediately following the lecture, a panel and question-and-answer session led by Joseph Fornieri, professor of political science and director of the Center for Statesmanship, Law and Liberty, and Lauren Hall, assistant professor of political science, will discuss two recent Supreme Court cases involving religious liberty—Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014) and the local case of Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014).

“At a time when ideological religious fundamentalism is on the march, it might be useful for citizens to take a moment and consider how the U.S. Constitution addresses religious and sectarian differences,” said Sean Sutton, associate professor and chair of RIT’s political science department.

From 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, in Skalny Room, Kilian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Interfaith Center, Frohnen will present “Virtue, Statesmanship and the Constitution,” based on his latest book, Constitutional Morality and the Rule of Law: Norms, Structure and the Problem of Power, which will be published next year.

Both lectures are free and open to the public.

“Constitution Day reminds us that we should shift our attention away from our immediate concerns and celebrate the Constitution of 1787—that great document whose principles have shaped our communities, guided our conduct at home and abroad, and secured our rights, liberties and prosperity,” added Sutton.

For more information, call 585-475-4620 or email sdsgsm@rit.edu.