Foreign Policy Live A U.S. Shutdown and a Constitutional Crisis
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Oct 3, 2025 
Jill Lepore, a Harvard historian and author of 'We the People', dives into the complexities of the U.S. Constitution amid rising political polarization. She discusses the challenges of amending the Constitution, linking it to the framers' supermajority requirements and modern partisanship. Lepore highlights the implications of government shutdowns on foreign policy and the erosion of democratic norms. The conversation touches on originalism, the relationship between income inequality and civic engagement, and the urgent need for constitutional evolution.
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Originalism As A Political Strategy
- Originalism arose as a strategy to achieve conservative constitutional aims after amendment failed.
- Conservatives reframed change as 'restoration' to justify judicial shifts once they controlled the courts.
Amendments Come In Political Storms
- Major constitutional changes typically follow unusual, intense political moments or crises.
- Amendments often arrive in 'little storms' rather than through normal politics.
Crisis Language Can Be Weaponized
- Declaring a constitutional crisis has been weaponized by the administration to bypass checks.
- A true constitutional crisis occurs if a president openly defies a Supreme Court ruling and refuses to accept its authority.
