An Examination of The Ninth Amendment with Meg Mott

Meg Mott, professor of politics, will lead a discussion on the 9th Amendment on October 13th at 7PM at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St in Brattleboro. Unlike the first eight Amendments, which lay out specific protections such as free speech, free press, and the right to remain silent, the Ninth Amendment protects rights that the Constitution has not enumerated. The Ninth Amendment reminds us that the People’s Rights are bigger than anything the Constitution has said.

“When it comes to constitutional issues, citizens leave the Big Questions to the experts on the Supreme Court,” explains Mott. “The Ninth Amendment throws the Biggest Question back to the people. There are no well-worn judicial decisions, no established parameters of the debate. That’s liberating and terrifying. But that doesn’t mean the Court has been silent on what those unenumerated rights are. The one place where the Court carved out some definition is with the Roe v. Wade decision. Part of the work of this presentation is to think through the ambiguities of the Ninth Amendment in a way that lets different moral frameworks co-exist.”

The program is free, open to the public and accessible to people in wheelchairs. Because it will be held indoors, all attendees, including the presenter, are required to wear masks by order of the Town. For more information call (802) 254-5290.