That’s the title of this year’s Joseph Story Distinguished Lecture. The lectures are organized by the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. The speaker this year was William Pryor, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. If you’re interested in the proper role of the courts in preserving the rule of law — and given what’s been happening lately in North Carolina how could you not be? — you should watch the whole thing:

Note: This blogpost was revised to call attention to its relevence for current events in North Carolina.