The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Constitution Day Lecture on right to same-sex marriage

    Constitutional Lecture

    Patrick Traylor will be giving a lecture for the Constitution Day Lecture 2015 on "The Constitutional Rights to Same-Sex Marriage: The Supreme Court's Opinion in 'Obergefell v. Hodges."

    The department of history and political science will be hosting the Constitution Day Lecture 2015 featuring Patrick Traylor. The 2015 lecture is named, “The Constitutional Right to Same-Sex Marriage: The Supreme Court’s Opinion in ‘Obergefell v. Hodges.’”

    On Wednesday, September 16, Patrick Traylor’s lecture is scheduled to take place in the Student Union Theatre at 1:00 p.m. Though the department of history and political science is hosting the event along with citizens of the City of Hammond, Patrick Traylor was allowed to have free reign on the lecture’s topic.

    “I selected the topic,” said Patrick Traylor. “The SLU history and political science department rightly focuses on the historic context for the drafting of constitutional provisions. However, there are centuries of additional constitutional law developed by the Supreme Court and lower courts that aid in the interpretation of the constitution provisions as drafted. I thought it would be helpful to use a recent case study to illuminate how the Constitution has been interpreted over time, often in ways that the drafters could not have envisioned or expected.”

    With the lecture topic, some hope students will be more interested than usual due to the lecture incorporating current events, such as the gay movement.

    “Sometimes some of the programs are dry and generic, but this topic is a hot-button topic,” said history instructor Dr. Ronald Traylor. “The topic is very current and a timely topic that will be talked about. The gay movement has become more vocal and has evolved from a social issue to a constitutional issue. Many people think it is a Civil Rights issue, so it will be interesting to see what kind of take he takes. I fully don’t expect him to take a stand. I fully expect him to just give the information and then let the room make the decision and see if they agree with the Supreme Court or not.”

    Patrick Traylor also hopes those in the audience leave with the knowledge of the authority the Supreme Court holds for the United States of America.

    “I hope to equip the attendees with the ability to engage in reasoned discourse on the Supreme Court’s exercise of authority in this case,” said Patrick Traylor. “Too often, the issue of same-sex marriage has devolved into unpleasantness on both sides of the issue. I hope that the lecture and the question-and-answer period will show the attendees the civil discourse on this issue is possible, and that reasonable minds can differ about the constitutional principle applied in the case.”

    In the past, the Constitutional Day lectures have had a time for a question-and-answer period which has helped to enhance the experience of attending the lecture as well as getting ready for the real world.

    “Historically, most of the students that are there are taking history, political science courses or are social studies education majors,” said Ronald Traylor. “We usually get some of the most wonderful and insightful questions that everyone wants to hear. It never really matters what the topic is. I know a lot of people are there to get extra credit, and that’s cool because it is not why you are there, it is what you leave with that really matters. If we could educate you, then we have done our job.”

    Though the lectures of the past have had a high attendance of history, political science and social studies majors, the event is open to the public.

    “Anyone who is interested in learning more about how the courts profoundly affect the day-to-day lives of citizens would find the lecture beneficial,” said Patrick Traylor.

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