BY ANTHONY DASILVA, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Professor Mathew Steilen, a Professor of Law at the University at Buffalo, came to the Walsh Auditorium to lead a presentation on Constitutional law. Titled “How to Build a Legislature: Privilege, Violence and the Design of Article l,” the Sept. 15 event was hosted by St. Bonaventure University’s Center for Law and Society and the Office of Government and Communications. Steilen was advertised as a speaker in advance of Constitution Day, a holiday that commemorates the signing of the Constitution by the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Constitution Day is officially celebrated today, Sept. 17.
When students walked in, they were given a small book, called The U.S. Constitution and Fascinating Facts About It. Steilen’s focus was on legislative reform, and what has changed and remained the same throughout the years.
Steilen’s first focus was on “Legislative power as a Social accomplishment”. He referenced the origin of the idea in Colonial Virginia, where certain types of people bought and owned almost everything in Virginia and answered to no-one. This dynamic inspired James Madison to write that the biggest problem is “Injustice of the Law of the States” and push for the drafting of a Constitution after the founding of the United States.
Another theme that Steilen brought up was the connection between public disputes and governmental disputes. He referenced the Randolph-Taylor duel, a dispute that had begun with a simple misunderstanding, noting that this same kind of violence also existed in congress and ultimately led to the Civil War.
Steilen’s final section was concerned with the future, and he asked the audience to consider the government that they lived in.
“When considering court reform, ask yourself, what kind of legislature is Congress today?” said Steilen.
The answer, according to Steilen, is that legislation hasn’t changed much because congress still can get into heated debates; but Congress has made it even harder to pass laws. One example of this is the Filibuster, which pretty much kills a law whenever it is put into place.
A short section of questions was held after the conclusion of the talk, lasting about 10-15 minutes. The room was quiet for about 30 seconds before the first question was asked, but afterward attendees were far more willing to participate. Most of the questions were about Steilen’s personal experience with Law school and the various difficulties and expenses involved.
Steilen’s most prominent piece of advice was to ask younger law school graduates about their experience and that Law School is a lot of work and takes a long time.
But the presentation conducted by University of Buffalo professor Mathew Steilen was very thorough and much was learned by all in attendance.
dasilvaf21@bonaventure.edu
