February 2026 | This Month's Featured Pillar: Constitutional Liberty
Constitutional Liberty Branch Updates
IGC Student Essay Contest Winner
The IGC recently hosted its 2nd Annual IGC Essay Contest and is proud to announce this year's winners. Three winners of the second annual IGC essay contest have been announced. All three winners submitted outstanding essays and received prizes ranging in value from $1,500 (for first place) to $500. Students were asked to affirm or refute one or more of the arguments presented by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison concerning the proper lifespan of our national constitution. Although Jefferson proposed that constitutions be reviewed and possibly replaced every 19 years, Madison argued that such changes would cause unnecessary political fights.
Our first-place winner is Brittany Tito, a freshman from Dallas, Texas majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Psychology. In her essay, Brittany recognizes the philosophical basis of Jefferson’s concerns over the longevity of constitutions but argues that practical considerations outweigh any need to replace a nation's constitution every 19 years. To her, replacing the constitution every 19 years would undermine the security of the nation and weaken the rule of law. Tito highlights the case of Venezuela, a country that has had 26 constitutions since 1811.
Our second-place winner is Sofia Arango, a freshman from Miami, Florida majoring in Political Science. In her essay, Sofia argues that complete overhauls of the Constitution would lead to distrust in institutions. Moreover, the overhauls to the constitution would inject excessive “partisan conflict and emotions rather than clear and careful reasoning” into American politics. In addition, Arango recognizes that constant revisions to the Constitution would place individuals’ liberties in jeopardy. She writes that, “[m]any decisions, such as pursuing education or purchasing property, depend on the current legal systems in place being long-standing.”
Our third-place winner is Jasmine Tavares, a second-year student from Weeki Wachee, Florida majoring in Political Science and Criminology who plans to graduate in fall 2026. In her essay, Jazmine thoughtfully argues that even those who are invested in reform and social justice should prefer Madison’s argument to Jefferson’s argument. Tavares is aware that values can and do change from generation to generation, and that these facts might tempt one to side with Jefferson’s proposal to rewrite the Constitution every 19 years. Nevertheless, Tavares believes this proposal would be “harmful to the efficiency, wisdom, and integrity of our government.” Moreover, the process for amending the Constitution, as Tavares skillfully explains, has been used successfully to create meaningful changes to the Constitution.
These winning essays all exemplify excellence in rhetoric and composition!
Student Constitutional Convention
In March 2026, 60 students from Florida State University will convene for a mock constitutional convention in which amendments to the U.S. Constitution are proposed by students, debated, and possibly approved. Students will be selected from an open application process to serve as delegates. We received more than 200 applications! Among the benefits of the convention: Students will learn how to draft amendments, debate with their colleagues respectfully, and learn more about our national constitution. The convention will feature four guest speakers:
- Richard Albert, Hines H. Baker and Thelma Kelley Baker Chair in Law and Professor at the University of Texas School of Law.
- Sanford Levinson, W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair in Law and Professor at the University of Texas School of Law.
- Morgan Marietta, Professor for the Institute of American Civics at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee.
- Patricia Levesque, CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education and Executive Director of ExcelinEd in Action, and former member of the Florida constitutional revision commissions.
The convention will begin with opening remarks and then a tutorial on how (and how not) to amend the national constitution by Prof. Richard Albert. Students will then convene in committee meetings to identify and approve up to two amendments for debate by the full, plenary session. Convention officers will be elected under the guidance of professional parliamentarian Kay Crews. On the Friday evening of the convention, Profs. Sanford Levinson and Morgan Marietta will engage in a debate on the question “Does America need a second constitutional convention?” Ms. Leveque will also discuss her experiences in serving on Florida’s constitutional revision commissions during Saturday lunch.
The proceedings will be recorded and made available on the Institute’s YouTube channel and other outlets. The convention is for students only. The Institute anticipates that the convention will be a recurring, annual event in the spring.
More information about the convention can be found here.
American Institutions Conference
On March 6, 2026, the Institute will host its first American Institutions Conference! As part of the one-day conference, 25 academic studies of constitutional politics, federalism, or intergovernmental relations in the United States will be presented across five panels. Presenters will receive feedback from at least two discussants. Thirty-four guests will travel to Tallahassee for the conference. The guests will include historians and political scientists, among others. The conference is open to students and the public. The Institute anticipates that the conference will be a recurring, annual event in the spring; and that the focus areas of future conferences will be narrowed to include any one of the three areas: constitutional politics, federalism, or intergovernmental relations.
More information about the conference can be found here.
American Institutions Survey
The Constitutional Liberties Branch of the Institute also plans to organize a national survey on Americans’ attitudes towards constitutions and federalism in April 2026. The survey will be administered online and will receive roughly 1,500 responses. Respondents will be asked about their levels of veneration for the national and state constitutions, opinions towards reform, and opinions about federalism. The survey will feature a battery of questions gauging respondents’ preferences regarding which layers of government (federal, state, or local) are most trustworthy and should perform various governmental functions. The survey results will help determine if respondents who prefer decentralized, state power in American politics also have greater awareness of and veneration for their state constitutions. We look forward to sharing the results of the survey with you!