Original Intent: The Battle for America

2006

55min

Original Intent is a judicial philosophy that the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted in the way the Founding Fathers understood it in 1789 -- an era when only white men were allowed to vote and slavery was legal. Others believe the Constitution was crafted in broad, open-ended language and that its meaning evolves over time. The film argues that the far right is using originalism as a cover to advance a radically conservative political agenda: overturning laws that protect civil rights, voting rights, affirmative action, reproductive rights, privacy, and sexual freedom. Interviewees include Robert Bork, Alan Dershowitz, Edwin Meese, Senator Alan Simpson, and leading scholars.