Unpacking Originalism: Natural Law, Natural Rights, and the Ninth Amendment with Randy Barnett

Liberty and Leadership

This week Randy Barnett joins host Roger Ream to discuss the ideas of constitutional originalism, natural law vs. natural rights, the importance of the ninth amendment, and how they all inform his interpretation of libertarianism. Plus, the benefits of teaching constitutional law through a narrative lens and stories from Randy’s newly released memoir, “A Life for Liberty: The Making of an American Originalist.”
Randy is the Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and is the Faculty Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. He has argued numerous high-profile cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and as a legal scholar is perhaps the foremost expert on the ninth amendment to the Constitution, among other provisions. He is also a member of the advisory board for the TFAS Summer Law Fellowship program and has been a favorite guest lecturer in that program.
The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at [email protected]. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Chapters

1. Unpacking Originalism: Natural Law, Natural Rights, and the Ninth Amendment with Randy Barnett (00:00:00)

2. Understanding the Constitution (00:00:02)

3. The Evolution of Originalism (00:08:11)

4. Exploring Natural Law and Natural Rights (00:19:29)

5. The Ninth Amendment and Constitutional Law (00:31:12)