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Do We Have a ‘Living Constitution’?

Do We Have a ‘Living Constitution’?
The Supreme Court in Washington Sept. 2, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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“Originalism” is a modern term for applying the Constitution as understood by those who adopted it. This is how English and American judges and lawyers have read most legal documents for at least 500 years.

By respecting the understanding behind the Constitution, originalism keeps the document alive.

Rob Natelson
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor who is senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver, authored “The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant” (3rd ed., 2015). He is a contributor to The Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”
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