About

A neutral and thorough accounting of the Constitution’s original meaning

Over the past two decades, the federal judiciary has increasingly grounded its cases in the Constitution’s original meaning. Students, scholars, lawyers, and judges are now expected to understand and apply the text, history, and tradition of the Constitution. The Third Edition of The Heritage Guide to the Constitution will provide a comprehensive starting point to research these issues from before, during, and after the Constitution’s adoption. The Heritage Guide will provide all Americans with an authoritative and accessible introduction to our foundational charter.

The 216 essays in the Third Edition of The Heritage Guide were authored by more than 150 distinguished jurists, scholars, and practitioners. Each essay was carefully reviewed to ensure they are of the highest quality and accuracy, while maintaining a neutral approach. This once-a-decade publication strives to be the definitive compendium about each provision of the Constitution.

The definitive compendium of the Constitution’s original meaning

The time is now right for a third edition of The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The project continues under the leadership of Josh Blackman and John Malcolm. They are building on the proud legacy of the prior editions. I am confident that this volume will serve a new generation of lawyers, professors, students, and ordinary citizens who are deeply committed to the jurisprudence of originalism I spoke about four decades ago.
Edwin Meese III, Seventy-Fifth Attorney General of the United States

We the people’ adopted the Constitution, and it is important that all Americans understand what our founding document means. Since the publication of the first edition twenty years ago, The Heritage Guide to the Constitution has been an invaluable resource for judges, lawyers, and the public at large. It marries scholarly depth and sophistication with prose that is readily accessible. The new third edition of the Guide retains the virtues of its predecessors while deepening the discussion of how constitutional provisions were understood when they were adopted. . . . Today, no savvy attorney would disregard original meaning in briefing or arguing an unsettled constitutional question in federal court. For attorneys involved in such cases—and for all other Americans who want to understand what our Constitution means—the new edition of The Heritage Guide is a great place to start.
Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court

Josh Blackman

Senior Editor

Centennial Chair of Constitutional Law, South Texas College of Law
Houston. President, The Harlan Institute

John G. Malcolm

Executive Editor

Vice President, Institute for Constitutional Government, The Heritage Foundation; Director of Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies; Ed and Sherry Gilbertson Senior Legal Fellow.

Third Edition Editorial Board

Student Editors

Amanda Badalamenti, Kevin Bizily, Campbell Collins, Daniel Davidson, Gary Dreyer, Zach Garrett, Mario Fiandeiro, Monty Flores, Tal Fortgang, Olivia Hodge, Ajay S. Iyer, Bret Johanneson, Taylor Myers, Alex Nutt, Megan Perry, Ben Prengler, Vince Puzak, Anastasia Pyrinis, Landon Reffitt, Brooklyn Scott, Marisa Sylvester, Emmalyn Spruce, Ty Tomasoski, Nik Vakil, Matt Wurst

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About

A neutral and thorough accounting of the Constitution’s original meaning

The definitive compendium of the Constitution’s original meaning

Third Edition Editorial Board

Executive Editor

Senior Editor

Chairman Emeritus

Associate Editors

Managing Editors

Executive Editor

Senior Editor

Academic Advisor Board

Student Editors