Popular Constitutionalism in a Populist Age
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Description
Assistant Professor of Law Tom Donnelly from the University of Richmond presented his work Popular Constitutionalism in a Populist Age. This paper reimagines popular constitutionalism as a practical reform agenda that empowers democratic self-governance and curbs judicial and executive overreach. Drawing on 19th-century agrarian populists, it calls for institutional, doctrinal, and cultural changes to better reflect the people’s constitutional voice.
Presenter
Tom Donnelly teaches and writes in the field of constitutional law. His specialties include constitutional theory, American political development, civic education, and American constitutional history. To date, his scholarship has focused on a variety of topics, including popular constitutionalism, originalism, Supreme Court legitimacy, the role of the Supreme Court nomination process in the constitutional politics of Reconstruction, and the constitutional lessons that schools have taught American high school students over time.
Workshop Date
4-9-2025
Keywords
Popular constitutionalism, institutional reform, democratic self-governance, judicial supremacy, agrarian populism
Recommended Citation
Donnelly, Tom, "Popular Constitutionalism in a Populist Age" (2025). Faculty Workshops.
https://ecollections.law.fiu.edu/faculty-workshops/83
Comments
"Archived Faculty Profile"