The Center for the Constitution and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT) promotes scholarship that explores the relevance of the Catholic intellectual tradition for American constitutionalism. That tradition is deep and rich, including philosophical and theological accounts of law and politics by such figures as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Although CIT’s primary focus is on theories of constitutional law, such as originalism, its ambit is broad and covers the relevance of the Catholic intellectual tradition for constitutional history, doctrine, and other fields of study. CIT carries out its mission through such activities as guest lectures, conferences, courses offered through the Law School, a program on the Catholic intellectual tradition for young lawyers in the D.C. area (see the “Aquinas Fellowship” page), and a program of special events and offerings for students at The Catholic University of America (see the “Ex Corde Fellowship” page). 

CIT’s goal is to become the center of scholarly conversation about the relationship between the Catholic intellectual tradition and American constitutionalism and to reach beyond the academy to think tanks, young professionals, and the broader public.