In May of 2023 Country singer Lee Greenwood released a version of the Bible that also included the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. This reflected a sentiment held by many Americans that these founding documents were to some extent quasi-religious in nature. In 2024 former president Donald Trump appropriated this book for fundraising purposes.
In his book The Constitutional Bind author Aziz Rana explains just how this mythology plays into the Religious Right. He also outlines in great detail how the Constitution actually hinders democracy when interpreted by courts that seem to favor minority rule. Aziz Rana joins us for part two of our conversation on this edition of Common Threads.
Bio from Boston College Law School:
Aziz Rana is a Professor and Provost’s Distinguished Fellow at Boston College Law School and the incoming J. Donald Monan, S.J., University Professor of Law and Government. He joins Boston College from Cornell Law School, where he was the Richard and Lois Cole Professor of Law.
His research and teaching center on American constitutional law and political development. In particular, Rana’s work focuses on how shifting notions of race, citizenship, and empire have shaped legal and political identity since the founding of the country.
