Connecticut has lived under its own state Constitution since the 1600s, Jepsen told the students and faculty gathered in the Schine Auditorium on Wednesday as part of the nationwide celebration of Constitution Day, which is officially on Sept. 17.
That is the day our founding state delegates signed the Constitution in 1787. Jepsen and other constitutional scholars at Sacred Heart used the afternoon to explain the link between government work today, and its ties to the over 200-year-old document.
Moderated by professor Gary Rose, head of the Government, Politics, and Global Studies at SHU, Jepsen and the panel discussed the oaths that elected officials take to defend, enforce and represent the Constitution. Jepsen provided anecdotes from his career, discussing his experience working to understand the complex document.
A graduate of Dartmouth and Harvard Law, Jepsen has worked in various constitutional-based cases, including hearing cases on gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, the handling of rating agencies responsible for the recent subprime loan economic crash as well as handling former Gov. John Roland’s budget layoff cases concerning state workers.
Jepsen also discussed his current case, which pushes for school reforms in the public sector, and addresses the cost of education and state funding for public schools throughout the state.
In addition to chronicling his personal experiences, Jepsen also discussed the value of the Constitution in our country, and in Connecticut in particular.
In discussing the relationship, "Connecticut and America have made democracy work thanks to society’s oath to the Constitution,"Jepsen said as the discussion drew to a close.
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