What does it mean to be a constitutional conservative? The Supreme Court’s conservative justices share many commitments, yet often disagree about how to interpret the Constitution, when to overturn precedent, and how to exercise judicial power. These debates offer a window into some of the most consequential constitutional questions of our time.

Led by Adam J. White, this two-week fellowship in Washington, DC, will explore the ideas and disagreements shaping constitutional conservatism. Fellows will begin with America’s foundational debates over judicial power, reading The Federalist, the Anti-Federalists, and John Marshall before turning to the constitutional controversies surrounding Lochner and the Warren Court. They will then examine the writings of recent and current conservative justices, considering how their approaches respond to the legacy of 20th-century liberal jurisprudence.

The second week will center on major Supreme Court cases involving constitutional rights, equality, and citizenship. Fellows will work in teams to present opposing sides of each case, defend their interpretations, and engage their classmates in close discussion of the justices’ reasoning. Throughout, they will ask how constitutional principles should guide judicial decisions and what responsibilities accompany the Court’s power. Afternoon conversations with judges and other legal practitioners will connect these questions to the work of the courts.

The guest faculty and speakers listed below visited past programs. Guest faculty and speakers for Summer 2027 will be announced soon.

Learn more about the Constitutional Studies Program.

Faculty & Speakers

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The Program

Morning Seminars

Under the guidance of legal expert Adam White, Constitutional Studies Fellows spend their mornings in rigorous seminar discussion, tracing the development of America’s constitutional institutions. We will connect ideas to institutions to statesmanship, and connect America’s history to the present day with an eye to the fellows’ own futures.

Guest Speaker Series

In the afternoons, fellows gain insights from prominent judges, legal scholars, and Supreme Court advocates who bring firsthand knowledge of law at the highest levels. Past guests included Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar, legal analyst Sarah Isgur, and Harvard Law School admissions dean Kristi Jobson.

Alumni Network

Over 2,000 students have participated in a Hertog fellowship. Hertog alumni are consistently accepted at top law schools like Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, UChicago, and UVA. A dozen alumni have gone on to clerk for a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Other Courses You Might Be Interested In

Constitutional Administration

Learn how policy is translated through the administrative state and the courts.

The Federalist & Contemporary Debates

Consider The Federalist Papers anew through the lens of current events. 

The Constitution, The Courts, and Conservatism

Explore the debates within conservative legal thought on the courts and the Constitution.

Slavery & the American Founding

Consider the status of slavery and race in the American Founding.

The Political Thought of Edmund Burke

Study the work of Edmund Burke, the West’s first and arguably greatest conservative thinker.

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Adam J. White

Adam J. White is the Laurence H. Silberman Chair in Constitutional Governance and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on the Supreme Court and the administrative state. Concurrently, he codirects the Antonin Scalia Law School’s C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State.

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Alan M. Levine

Alan M. Levine is Associate Professor of political theory in the Department of Government and the founding director of the Political Theory Institute at American University. A specialist in the history of Western political thought, Professor Levine’s research interests include ancient and modern political theory.