LEXINGTON, Va., Aug. 29, 2023—Virginia Military Institute will hold a Constitution Day discussion in acknowledgment of the 20^th anniversary of the second Iraq War on Monday, Sept. 18 at 7:45 p.m. in Gillis Theater in Marshall Hall. The discussion titled, “The Constitution in Wartime” will center around how the U.S. Constitution has evolved and been challenged during wartime. In particular, the conversation will focus on two constitutional issues that often arise during wars: executive power and civil liberties. Guest speakers are Chris Edelson, assistant professor in the Department of Government at American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., and Dr. Stewart Winger, associate professor of history at Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal, Illinois. The event is sponsored by the Jackson-Hope Fund, and is free and open to the public.

Edelson graduated from Harvard Law School and practiced law before joining the AU faculty. He is an expert in presidential national security power under the U.S. Constitution. He has written two books: “Emergency Presidential Power: From the Drafting of the Constitution to the War on Terror” and “Power Without Constraint: The Post 9/11 Presidency and National Security.” Edelson's op-eds have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, Newsday, Constitution Daily, US News & World Report, Reason Magazine, and The Hill. He has appeared on C-SPAN's “Washington Journal and Book TV,” NPR, and Sinclair Broadcast Group Television, in addition to other media outlets.

Winger earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from the University of Chicago. Prior to coming to ISU in 2006, he taught at Purdue University – Calumet in Indiana, The American University in Cairo, Egypt, and Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, Michigan. At ISU, he teaches courses in Civil War and Reconstruction, American Religious History, U.S. Legal and Constitutional History, and U.S. Economic History. He edited the book, “Ex Parte Milligan Reconsidered: Race and Civil Liberties from the Lincoln Administration to the War on Terror” and is currently writing, “The Fostering Care of Government: Abraham Lincoln and Internal Improvements.”

Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in Q&A. 

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE