Dr. Lisa Bryant, chair, Political Science Department, will moderate a Constitution Day panel open to the Fresno State campus from 1 - 2 p.m. today, Sept. 22 in Library 3212. Pizza will be provided by ASI.

Fellow political science faculty Dr. Naomi Bick, Dr. Jeff Cummins, Dr. Kenneth Hansen, Dr. Josephine Hazelton-Boyle and Dr. Thomas Holyoke will also speak on the panel.

They will discuss the separation of powers between the executive, judicial and legislative branches as laid out by James Madison and the Founders. James Madison, the nation’s fourth president, was a leader in drafting the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights.

Other topics will include how federal power has changed over time, when and why Congress gives up and takes back power, how changes in who is making and enforcing laws impact the federal bureaucracy, and what types of federal policy are the most stable over time.

National Constitution Day is held every Sept. 17, the day the Constitution was officially signed in 1787.