Examining the Rule of Law
Setup
“When we [Americans] talk about the rule of law, we assume that we’re talking about a law that promotes freedom, that promotes justice, that promotes equality,” US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said in 2007. The rule of law is fundamental to our democracy. Critical challenges loom, however, as our citizens today disagree sharply over some of our nation’s most vexing issues, ranging from national security to our economic future to the very functioning of our political process. Are we at risk of abandoning long-standing legal and constitutional norms and understandings? How should the guarantees of our Constitution shape this dilemma? Are there governmental and societal processes in place today that will enable us to ensure “liberty and justice for all” for our children and our children’s children? Three distinguished jurists discuss the challenges we face as a nation.
- 2017 Festival
- USA
Explore More
USA

Meet Patience Lee, a 2023 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who’s building cultural awareness into mental health support services for unaccompanied refugee children in the United Sta...

Meet Nathan Chomilo, a 2023 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who’s incorporating community collaboration and racial equity into Minnesota’s Medicaid policy development.













The pandemic put into stark relief deeply-ingrained gender roles in society, as the burden of unpaid care fell to millions of women who left the workforce. Yet the past years...

Of course, Black history shouldn’t just be a month-long nod on our yearly calendar — it is inextricable from American history and fundamental to the very soul of our nation an...

Politics are a frenzy right now, with bombshell headlines dropping so often that it’s hard to know what to focus on. Even when you can cut through the noise, what you hear is...





From the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion rights to public health's role in addressing gun violence to the devastating human toll of the war in Ukraine, this year's Aspen Id...


From blockchain to back to school and virus-hunting to bridging divides, speakers at the 2021 Aspen Ideas Festival addressed issues in a new kind of world—one touched, and cha...

The highest court often seems distanced from our day-to-day lives, but the rulings that come out of the Supreme Court are woven into the fabric of the nation. Though it aims t...

Gen-Z for Change's Aidan Kohn-Murphy on youth-led movements, his advice for young activists, and why it's impossible to lose hope.



