Tony Biglan sits down with Stuart Ford, Professor of Law at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and a scholar of constitutional law, international criminal law, and human rights.

In this episode:

* The overlooked role of the Constitution’s preamble in American law

* What the Founders meant by promoting the “general welfare”

* Why a 1905 Supreme Court decision largely sidelined the preamble

* Originalism, constitutional interpretation, and the limits of judicial reasoning

* How concerns for health, happiness, and prosperity were embedded in the founding vision of government

* The tension between individual rights and the common good

* Citizens United, corporate power, and the influence of money in politics

* Climate change, public welfare, and the challenges of collective action

* Building legal and social movements capable of advancing democratic reform

* How strategic litigation could revive the Constitution’s commitment to the general welfare

Takeaway: The Constitution’s commitment to promoting the general welfare may offer an underutilized framework for addressing many of today’s most pressing challenges—from climate change and economic inequality to democratic governance and public well-being.

Host: Dr Anthony Biglan

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