James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions

Madison's Notes is out with a new episode: "A Divine Comedy."

Host Ryan Shinkel interviewed Rob Long, the TV writer & producer turned divinity student & future Episcopal priest, to talk about all things Hollywood & holiness.

They discuss the sitcom Cheers, the writer's room, whether art can survive AI, Jerusalem pilgrimages, the nature of humor, a sermon's proper length, if Jesus ever laughed, along with Dick Van D**e & Michaelangelo, Aristotle & Moliere, P.G. Wodehouse & P.J. O'Rourke, plus much more.

Please enjoy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e9-a-divine-comedy-on-hollywood-creativity/id1515595812?i=1000770913258

We’re proud to announce that two of our Undergraduate Fellows, Nadia Makuc '26 and Enzo Kho '26, won the following awards on Class Day:

Nadia Makuc won the Harold Willis Dodds Achievement Prize, which recognizes the senior who best embodies the qualities of Princeton’s 15th president, Harold Dodds.

From Massachusetts, Makuc is a classics major with minors in Medieval and Hellenic studies. Alongside serving as chair and clerk of the Princeton Honor Committee, co-president of the Aquinas Institute, and president of Princeton Pro-Life, she founded Caring for Kids, and worked as a digital imaging specialist for Princeton’s “Connecting Histories” project on Athonite collections.

Also, Enzo Kho received the Walter E. Hope Class of 1901 Medal, which recognizes the senior who, in the judgment of the student’s classmates, has done the most for Princeton.

From the Philippines, Kho is a sociology major with a minor in urban studies. Having served as the Undergraduate Student Government president and youth engagement chair of the Pace Center’s Student Volunteers Council, he is a community outreach coordinator for the Princeton Filipino Community, a Community Action fellow, and a performer with three dance companies.

For more details, see here: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2026/05/25/students-honored-leadership-and-service-class-day

We're proud to announce that two of our Undergraduate Fellows, Luke Carroll ‘26 and Zach Gardner ’26, have won the Stephen Whelan '68 Senior Thesis Prize for Excellence in Constitutional Law and Political Thought.

This endowed University prize is awarded by the James Madison Program to one or more students whose senior theses in constitutional law or political thought are judged to be of superlative quality.

Advised by Associate Professor, Michael A. Blaakman, Luke’s thesis, "The Birth of Original Intent," investigates the origins of original intent and how Americans past and present think about the Constitution.

Advised by our Director, Professor Robert P. George, Zach's thesis, “The Presidential Pardon Power: A Portrait in Paradox,” analyzes the abuses of the constitutional power of the President to grant pardons amid the tension between justice and mercy.

Congratulations to both Luke and Zach!

For more details, see here: https://jmp.princeton.edu/news/2026/luke-carroll-26-and-zach-gardner-26-awarded-stephen-whelan-68-senior-thesis-prize

TOMORROW:

Join us for a discussion between Walter Russell Mead, scholar at the Hudson Institute, and Professor Robert P. George, the James Madison Program Director, on "The Declaration of Independence and the Future of American Democracy."

As a JMP Princeton University Reunions Event, the talk will be held on Friday May 22, 2026 at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm in McDonnell Hall A02. For more details, see here: https://jmp.princeton.edu/events/2026/declaration-independence-and-future-american-democracy-jmp-princeton-university

Madison's Notes is out with a new episode: "Debating the Constitution."

Host Ryan Shinkel interviewed Sherif Girgis, the Notre Dame law professor and legal scholar.

They talked about the history of Originalism, Justice Scalia's critique of Thomas Aquinas, Living Constitutionalism versus Living Traditionalism, whether the Constitution assumes natural law, if judges should consider the common good, and what a future Robert Bork would like.

Please enjoy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e8-debating-the-constitution-on-originalisms-most/id1515595812?i=1000768753763

NEXT WEEK:

Join us for a discussion between Walter Russell Mead, scholar at the Hudson Institute, and Professor Robert P. George, the James Madison Program Director, on "The Declaration of Independence and the Future of American Democracy."

As a JMP Princeton University Reunions Event, the talk will be held on Friday May 22, 2026 at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm in McDonnell Hall A02. For more details, see here: https://jmp.princeton.edu/events/2026/declaration-independence-and-future-american-democracy-jmp-princeton-university

We're proud to announce that three JMP Undergraduate Fellows are among the eight Princeton students to win the Spirit of Princeton award for service and contributions to campus life: Luke Miller, Jaisnav Rajesh, and Jaden Stewart.

A senior from Texas who is majoring in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Luke Miller is the head writer of the All-Nighter Late Night Talk Show and a Class Day co-chair for the Class of 2026.

A senior from Plainfield, Illinois, who is majoring in computer science, Jaisnav Rajesh is a residential college adviser in New College West, and he serves on the residential college leadership team.

A senior from Los Angeles who is majoring in politics, Jaden Stewart is a U-Councilor with the Undergraduate Student Government and also a Class Day co-chair for the Class of 2026.

For more details, see here: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2026/05/14/eight-students-win-spirit-princeton-award-service-contributions-campus-life

Madison's Notes is out with a new episode: "Frontier Films for America250."

Host Ryan Shinkel interviewed Matthew J. Franck, a Witherspoon Institute Senior Fellow. They talked about Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Significance of the Frontier in American History," novels by James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain, the westerns of John Ford, and frontier movies in outer space, science, and technology.

Please enjoy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e7-frontier-films-for-america250-on-the-western/id1515595812?i=1000766405606

THIS WEEK:

Join us for two lectures by Carter Snead, the Charles E. Rice Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, on "Ethics at the Edges of Humanity."

The events will be held on Wednesday May 6th and Thursday May 7th at 5-6:30 pm in 120 Lewis Library. For details, see here: https://jmp.princeton.edu/events/2026/lecture-series-ethics-edges-humanity

We're proud to announce that another senior and current undergraduate fellow Joe Silva has been selected for the John and Daria Barry Scholarship for study in the University of Oxford!

Joe is a history major who is also earning a minor in Hellenic studies, while his senior thesis focuses on the reception of St. Thomas Aquinas in Byzantium. In addition to studying Latin and Attic and Koine Greek at Princeton, Silva spent his junior spring studying at Hertford College, Oxford, where he focused specifically on Ionic Greek.

A part of the Princeton University Chapel Watch, co-president and former liturgy chair of the Aquinas Institute, and a member of the men’s rugby football club, he is also a member of Rockefeller College.

https://jmp.princeton.edu/news/2026/undergraduate-fellows-gardner-26-silva-26-and-drake-25-receive-2026-barry-scholarships?check_logged_in=1