Matthew Brogdon @ProfBrogdon

The Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship ruling generated countless headlines. But what did the Court actually decide? In this interview from Defending Ideas, @nicdunnutah speaks with @ProfBrogdon and Bill Duncan about the constitutional questions behind the case and why understanding constitutional structure leads to a much better understanding of the ruling.

Every president since George Washington has had the power to fire cabinet secretaries. @ProfBrogdon from @CCSUVU explains why, and how that factored into the recent Supreme Court decisions on executive power.

@ProfBrogdon @CCSUVU Watch and listen to the full Defending Ideas: sutherlandinstitute.org/understanding-…

“How did we get from [a] simple resolution to the text that we ultimately adopted and published on July 4?" Listen as @ProfBrogdon joins @KUER's 𝗣𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 to talk about how @CCSUVU partnered with the Quill Project at @PembrokeOxford to map the negotiations leading to the final draft of the #DeclarationOfIndependence. "That's a lengthy process,” said Brogdon, “but it's very important for people to see that the way Americans engage in constitutional self-government . . . by meeting together in deliberative bodies face to face and working through language that everyone can agree on.” Hear the full conversation: bit.ly/4p8IzNO. @quill1787 @quilldir

What an honor to chat with our fellow citizens in @pleasantgroveut about the Declaration of Independence!

Center for Constitutional Studies at UVU @CCSUVU

6 days ago

@CCSUVU's @ProfBrogdon and @EleeshaTucker led a #DeclarationOfIndependence masterclass discussion at @PGLib July 8. About two dozen @pleasantgroveut residents were present, including 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻 and his wife 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲. "We see these concepts play out

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@CCSUVU's @ProfBrogdon and @EleeshaTucker led a #DeclarationOfIndependence masterclass discussion at @PGLib July 8. About two dozen @pleasantgroveut residents were present, including 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻 and his wife 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲. "We see these concepts play out every day in our local government,” said Jensen after the meeting. “It’s key that we remember our founding principles, and it’s a reminder of the compromises that formed that document.” Attendees viewed three of five videos in the series. Watch the videos, bit.ly/3LVI5M0, and see photos of the event, adobe.ly/4bf9LVu.

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Watch how @ProfBrogdon printed a copy of the #DeclarationOfIndependence late on July 4 as part of a reenactment of John Dunlap's printing of 200 copies of the Declaration the evening of July 4, 1776. The paper on which it was printed had the fibers and watermark like the original Dunlap copies. Read about the paper used, bit.ly/4v83NNm, or watch, bit.ly/4ffcRuV. The copy will be framed and put on display in @CCSUVU's new home on @UVU campus later this summer.

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"No matter the verdict, [in the recent #SupremeCourt session] the justices were sure to gore any number of oxen," wrote @CCSUVU's @ProfBrogdon in a recent @thehill opinion. "Partisanship is not absent from the Supreme Court," he continued, "but it simply is not the modus operandi of the institution." Learn more, bit.ly/4ya845A, about how "judges are principally concerned with the law even if they are not ignorant of politics." #Constitution

How we got the federal trial courts: Privateering, heroic exploits at sea, and a standoff between the state militia and a federal marshal in the streets of Philly.

Center for Constitutional Studies at UVU @CCSUVU

a week ago

How did a rebel nation establish a federal court system? In a recently published video on @cspan, @CCSUVU's @ProfBrogdon explores how the U.S. court system formed during the Revolutionary War. Watch: bit.ly/4aAC5Bt. See photos of the session recorded @UVU:

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@CCSUVU @cspan @UVU How we got the federal trial courts: Privateering, heroic exploits at sea, and a standoff between the state militia and a federal marshal in the streets of Philly.

In @thehill, @CCSUVU @ProfBrogdon argues that contrary to popular opinion, unanimous or near-unanimous decisions and cross-partisan voting coalitions are the norm on the #SupremeCourt. thehill.com/opinion/judici…

How did a rebel nation establish a federal court system? In a recently published video on @cspan, @CCSUVU's @ProfBrogdon explores how the U.S. court system formed during the Revolutionary War. Watch: bit.ly/4aAC5Bt. See photos of the session recorded @UVU: adobe.ly/4aMA4Bm.

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In a @Deseret opinion July 4, @CCSUVU’s @ProfBrogdon wrote: “By the time they declared their independence, some of the original 13 colonies had been governing themselves for more than 150 years.” Here are some key quotes from his essay: - The #DeclarationOfIndependence was “centrally concerned not just with a theoretical freedom but with an actual enjoyment of freedom and the pursuit of happiness under well-framed institutions that flow from the consent of the people and govern them competently.” - “Mature forms of self-government in the colonies were one of the reasons that the American Revolution was so successful.” - “This New World experiment was not simply a matter of ideas but a hard-won tradition of self-government.” Read the full opinion: bit.ly/44LpCaE.

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@KUER's Pamela McCall spoke to @ProfBrogdon on how UVU helped create an interactive digital model of the Declaration of Independence with @quill1787, showing how the draft was brought to life kuer.org/education/2026…

After you’ve read the Declaration aloud for the 4th of July, have a peak behind the curtain to see how it was drafted using the @quill1787 model quillproject.net/negotiation/375

Today, July 2, marks the 250th anniversary of the historic vote in the Second Continental Congress to approve the Lee Resolution proposing independence. The final wording of the actual #DeclarationOfIndependence was completed and adopted on July 4, 1776. John Dunlap, official printer of the Congress, worked late that night and into the next morning to produce 200 copies of the Declaration for distribution throughout the colonies. This printing process will be reenacted at the 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 from 9 p.m. on July 4 to 3 a.m. on July 5 at 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 in Orem. Find details about the event here, bit.ly/44HijAH, and how you can purchase your own copy of this special edition. Read in @Deseret about the paper the document will be printed on, bit.ly/4v83NNm, or watch, bit.ly/4ffcRuV.

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Join us tomorrow (July 4) for a special 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 episode (Season 4, Episode 5) to mark the 250th anniversary of the #DeclarationOfIndependence. Host 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗘𝗰𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻 welcomes 𝗗𝗿. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗵 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 of @WeberStateU, @WSUWalkerInst, and @IUPabc4. Listen, bit.ly/4dLYuKY, or watch, bit.ly/3BTJ5e7, as they discuss an important Fourth-of-July question. #podcast @abc4utah

It’s more complicated than your social media feed would have you believe. — @ProfBrogdon deseret.com/opinion/2026/0…

@CCSUVU @ProfBrogdon: What you need to know about the #birthrightcitizenship decision (and that confusing Kavanaugh interpretation) #scotus deseret.com/opinion/2026/0…