Frank Colucci, associate professor of political science at Purdue University Calumet, will speak to students and the general public April 9 at Penn State New Kensington.
Honors Speaker Series to feature Frank Colucci’s
“The Supreme Court and Obamacare”
7 p.m, Thursday, April 9, Conference Center
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. – The pending decision by the United States Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act will be the topic of a presentation at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 9, in the campus Conference Center. Author and scholar Frank Colucci, associate professor of political science at Purdue University Calumet, will talk about “The Supreme Court and Obamacare.” The event is free to the public.
In addition to the evening lecture, Colucci will meet during the day with students in an honors seminar class. He will discuss contemporary court decisions regarding religious liberty. The author, who wrote a book on Justice Anthony Kennedy, was invited to campus by John Craig Hammond, associate professor of history, who teaches the class.
“Dr. Colucci is a first-rate scholar and political scientist and widely recognized as a national expert on the Supreme Court,” said Hammond, who edited a book in 2010 on the politics of slavery. “His comments will challenge the beliefs and biases of all of the audience members, regardless of their political beliefs.”
Seating is limited in the Conference Center. Reservations are encouraged but not necessary. Guests will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 724-334-6032.
His lecture on the Supreme Court’s pending decision on Obamacare complements his book, “Justice Kennedy’s Jurisprudence: The Full and Necessary Meaning of Liberty” (University Press of Kansas, 2009). Kennedy has been the swing vote on the court for more than 20 years and cannot be pigeon-holed as either conservative or liberal. Nor can he be labeled a “finger-in-the-wind” moderate. Colucci argues that Kennedy’s decisions are rooted in his belief of liberty and human dignity, which should prevail in any interpretations of the constitution. The book was reviewed favorably by publications as diverse as the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Law Review, and New Republic.
Colucci holds a doctorate in political science from the University of Notre Dame. He joined the faculty at Purdue in 2003 and has taught courses in American government, judicial politics, constitutional law, civil liberties, and law and society. He has published numerous articles, book chapters, reviews, and op-ed essays.
Colucci is currently researching a book on Lee v. Weisman (1992), a Supreme Court decision that found clergy-led prayer at a public school graduation to violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
The next guest speaker for Hammond’s honors class is John Fea, department chair and professor of history at Messiah College. Fea will meet with students in the morning and deliver a public address at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 30, in the Conference Center. His presentation will be based on his widely-acclaimed book, “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?”