Want to Understand the Constitution? Don’t Ask a Lawyer!

Most Americans say the Constitution is important. Most Americans say it’s crucial for the government to stay within its constitutional bounds. But what exactly are the constitutional limits on federal power? How do we know? Well, whatever you do, don’t ask a lawyer. Most of them know very little about the Constitution. I can already hear some people protesting. Lawyers know a lot about the Constitution. They learn constitutional law, for goodness sake! But read closely what I wrote. I didn’t say they don’t know a lot about constitutional law. I said they typically don’t know a lot about the Constitution. There’s a huge difference. Constitutional law is made up of a bunch of lawyers’ opinions about what the Constitution means. But that’s not how you understand …