Your Weekly Constitutional

The riveting story of Paul Jennings, who began life as one of James Madison's slaves, who accompanied Madison to Washington, DC, and who eventually purchased his own freedom from Dolley Madison. We'll speak with Elizabeth Dowling Taylor, who chronicles Jennings's amazing story in her new book, "A Slave in the White House."

A brutal rape and murder. A twisted, brilliant defendant. An execution. But did we execute the wrong man? Join us as we talk to Tom Scott, one of the prosecutors in this remarkable case, which garnered international attention and became a focal point in the ongoing debate over the death penalty. Perhaps strangest of all: it all started right here, in tiny, remote and beautiful Grundy, Virginia.

Join us for a tour of the nation's only museum dedicated entirely to the United States Constitution. We'll get up close & personal with the Framers. We'll also go outside into Philadelphia's Historic District for the Constitutional Walking Tour. So put on your comfy shoes and get set.

Doctor, doctor, gimme the news, I got a bad case of . . . Health Care reform. We'll talk to two learned gentlemen with very different opinions about the constitutionality of what is commonly referred to as either the Affordable Health Care Act or Obamacare. Listen in and take your pick.

Battleground! Where? Right here in Northeast Tennessee. What's the fighting about? The First Amendment and the free exercise of religion.We'll talk to Stephen Bates, who wrote a book about the great textbook battle of the 1980's in Hawkins County, Tennessee - a constitutional slugfest between Concerned Women for America and People for the American Way.But before it became a national sensation, this particular battle began with a local "homebody homemaker" named Vicki Frost and her concerns about witchcraft and "secular humanism" in the public schools.

It's that magical time of year! Carolers, presents, and . . . Bill of Rights Day! It's December 15 - remember? Sure you do. In honor of the 220th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights, we'll be celebrating this most-overlooked of holidays with a special treat - a tribute to radio pioneer Norman Corwin, who produced a remarkable broadcast in 1941 - the 150th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights - called "We Hold These Truths." Our show will feature extensive excerpts from the 1941 broadcast, plus explanation and commentary from our host, Stewart Harris. So tune in your crystal sets or join us online at wets.org.

Who is this Andrew Johnson? Hint: he has something in common with another guy you might more easily recognize named William Jefferson Clinton. In fact, these two guys have a lot in common. You see, both started out poor in the rural South, both were reared primarily by their mothers, and both ended up being . . . . well, let's not spoil it.

The second part of our visit to the National Archives, where we'll talk about the actual, original, handwritten United States Constitution. We'll also speak with other visitors as they experience firsthand the Charters of Freedom, which include not only the Constitution, but also the Bill of Rights, and, of course, the Declaration of Independence. And we'll finish our fascinating conversation with conservator Kitty Nicholson.

Join us as we visit the original Constitution of the United States in its high-tech encasement in the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, DC. We'll have a fascinating discussion with Catherine "Kitty" Nicholson, one of the conservators who literally preserve and protect that great document every day. We'll also visit the Declaration of Independence and the original proposed Bill of Rights - all 12 of them.Kitty has lots of wonderful stories, dating back to the very creation of the Constitution. Did you know, for example, that it's not printed on paper, but on . . . . Tune in to find out.

It's time for our first annual Roundup! A Supreme Court Roundup, that is. I'll be talking to several of my learned and articulate colleagues at the Appalachian School of Law about some of the more interesting cases coming before the United States Supreme Court this term. So grab your hat, saddle up your horse and get ready for some serious constitutional ropin' and ridin'. Yeeeee-haaa!

Can we do anything to stop the venomous rantings of groups like the Westboro Baptist Church? Is some speech so hateful that it is beyond the protections of the First Amendment?

Our Prohibition Forum! Or at least as much of it as we could squeeze into an hour's worth of radio.

Was it constitutional for President Obama to kill Osama bin Laden? How about the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen living in Yemen? The answers are more complex than you might think. We talk to John Bellinger, former Legal Advisor to both Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and to the National Security Council. We also speak with Professor Robert Turner of the Center for National Security Law at the University of Virginia.

Are we talking Nazis and bonfires? Or is it something more nuanced? Is every attempt to remove a book from a library a "ban?" We'll talk to a lawyer for the American Library Association and to one of the ALA's critics. We'll also talk to a high school English teacher and a public librarian. Listen up - it's a hot one.

In our second episode on Prohibition, we conclude the bloody tale of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. By 1929, gang violence had become so brazen than many people started openly calling for repeal of the 18th Amendment.

The first in a series of episodes on Prohibition, which tie in with the new Ken Burns PBS documentary. Former Cook County Police Chief Art Bilek tells the gripping story of the Chicago mob and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the single most notorious act of gang violence during Prohibition. Such violence and the inability of corrupt politicians to prevent it eventually led to the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

Well, it's a long, sad tale. We'll tell it with help from Derrick Howard of the Appalachian School of Law and James Loewen, author of "Sundown Towns."

We'll hunt for National Treasures where Congress and the Supreme Court first met, and at the Second Bank of the United States, precursor to the Federal Reserve. That's where they keep all the money.

Is the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional? Michael Newdow thinks so. And he's gotten at least one federal court to agree with him. We'll talk to Dr. Newdow, and to Gregory Katsas, a former Justice Department lawyer who defended the Pledge against one of Dr. Newdow's lawsuits.

We're taking a field trip to . . . Independence Hall! To the very place where the Founders came together and debated our Constitution. So grab your tri-cornered hat, pull on your knee breeches, and let's get down to business.