SHOW NOTES: In this episode of The Blessings of Liberty, New York Times journalist Jesse Wegman joins to discuss his new book, The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution. This biography tells the story of James Wilson, a Founding Father whose bold vision shaped American democracy, but whose legacy was lost to scandal. Jeffrey Rosen, senior fellow at FIRE and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Participants
Jesse Wegman is a Senior Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, where he writes about Supreme Court reform and constitutional amendments. From 2013 to 2025, he was a member of the New York Times editorial board, covering law and politics, the Supreme Court, democracy, and electoral reforms. His first book, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, was published in 2020.
Jeffrey Rosen is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
Additional Resources
Jesse Wegman, The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution (6/23/2026)
James Wilson, Considerations on the Nature and Extent of Legislative Authority (1774)
James Wilson, “Speech in the State House Yard” (1787)
James Wilson, Lectures on Law (1790-1791)
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