I'm Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and welcome to We The People, a weekly show of constitutional debate.

The National Constitution Center is the only institution

on a non-partisan basis.

And on today's show, we will discuss the history and meaning of the 14th Amendment, which turns 150 this year.

Together with the Constitutional Accountability Center, and with wonderful support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Constitution

Center will host a series of constitutions about the 150th anniversary of the 14th Amendment

here in Philadelphia, across the country, and online. This year

2016 is the 150th anniversary of the proposal of the amendment. We will

continue these discussions until July 9th, 2018th,

which was the 150th anniversary of ratification.

And today's podcast kicks off these important discussions.

We hope you'll join us in the months ahead.

Of course, February is also African American History Month and one of the most important

organizations in the history of the 14th Amendment is the NACP Legal Defense Fund founded in 1940 and we will discuss that as well.

We have two of America's most distinguished jurists to discuss the 14th Amendment. We're honored to have in

studio Chief Judge Theodore McKee who oversees the US Court of Appeals for the

Third Circuit based here in Philadelphia across the

street at the Third Circuit. So honored always to have you here, Judge Mickey, welcome.

And joining us by phone is Judge James Wynne, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit based in Richmond.

Judge Wynne, we had a great conversation about the 13th Amendment in DC,

and it's an honor to have you back as well.

I'm just going to begin by quoting the 14th Amendment.

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