"It was like taking a college class for free!"

That's how one patron described the first program in your library's new series, "The Constitution: Rights to Know" that focused on the Bill of Rights.

Michael Dorf, the Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law at Cornell University and co-author of On Reading the Constitution led the discussion on not only the Bill of Rights, but also the amendment process, particularly the ongoing questions over whether the Equal Rights Amendment is indeed the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

Throughout the lively discussion, members of the audience were able to ask questions with many focused on current events and challenges to legal precedent.

Those unable to attend can still watch the presentation on the TCPL YouTube channel or by following the link below.

Three more sessions are planned for the series.

Voting — October 16, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The October 16 discussion will focus on voting, the Voting Rights Act, changes over time and the process and technology of modern-day elections. David A. Bateman, Associate Professor in the Government Department as well as the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University will lead the discussion. Other participants will include Tompkins County Elections Commissioners Alanna Congdon and Stephen DeWitt.

Immigration — November 20, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The program on November 20 will focus on the history of immigration in the United States, how the immigration and naturalization process works and why it has become such a politically polarized topic. Yale-Loehr, who co-authored the book Green Card Stories will lead this panel, which also includes Tania Penafort, law clerk for Journey’s End Refugee Services.

Citizenship — December 18, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The final program of the series will be December 18, when Michael Dorf will return to lead a discussion about how the notion of citizenship has changed over time, how to apply for citizenship and the recent efforts to repeal birthright citizenship. Additional participants will be announced closer to the event.

Each program will be held in the BorgWarner Community Room at Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca.

The Constitution: Rights to Know programming is a joint effort between Tompkins County Interim Historian Carrol Kammen, Steve Yale-Loehr, retired professor of immigration law at Cornell Law School and Tompkins County Public Library.

Livestreaming at TCPL is made possible in part by a grant from The Tompkins County Public Library Foundation.