Lecture, Barnard's Inn Hall, Thursday, 10 Apr 2025 - 18:00

What Rights and Duties are Missing from the U.S. Constitution?

a woman holding a sign saying 'No Guns Please'

Regarding the US Constitution, there is a major split between the Originalists (typically conservatives) and those who believe in an organic document that grows with the times. There have been enormous changes since 1789 – the internet is just one example – and the document must change one way or the other.

This lecture explores some of the unenumerated rights that might be added. These are not without their own subjective cultural elements. For example, Europeans are much more focused on ‘privacy’ than Americans, and it is debatable whether free speech is truly consistent with privacy.

Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE

Professor Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE

Gresham Professor of Law

Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE is a dual UK-US national, the founder and director of  the Justice League a non-profit human rights training centre...

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