Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times, explains what he calls “the most cryptic part of the United States Constitution.”
By ADAM LIPTAK, MIKAYLA BOUCHARD, NEETI UPADHYE and DAVID BOTTI on Publish DateMarch 30, 2018. Photo by Seth Perlman/Associated Press. Watch in Times Video »
The gun-control debate is one of the most contentious in American politics, pitting proponents of regulation against gun-rights advocates. Behind all of this is the Second Amendment.
“It’s only 27 words long,” said Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times. “But it is probably the most cryptic part of the United States Constitution.”
This video explainer breaks down those 27 words, teases out the two clauses that judges and scholars examine and looks at how the amendment is interpreted today.
In this video:
• Mr. Liptak has covered the Supreme Court for 10 years. Before that, he was a national legal correspondent, covering the law more generally. He joined The Times after practicing law for 14 years.