National Constitution Week is an annual observance in the United States. It commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, and is a time to reflect on the principles and ideals that have shaped American democracy.

Come join State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader, Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox in a conversation about how our Constitution has balanced power and promoted the public interest since its founding. What conversations should we be having right now about our most fundamental constitutional principles? How will the current interpretations of this founding document impact how our government functions well into the future? What aspects of the founders’ vision of government have been strained over time, especially in recent years, and how can we respond to protect our constitutional republic and to help ensure a meaningful democracy?

Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox is Senator for Senate District 22 in the Connecticut General Assembly, representing Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Monroe. She will serve as the chair of the new Government Oversight Committee, the Regulations Review Committee, and a Select Committee on Special Education. She will also serve as Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee and the Higher Education and Employment Committee. Sujata is also Professor of Legal Studies at Quinnipiac University, where she teaches classes in constitutional law, comparative law, and human rights law, among other subjects. She is the Executive Director of the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights and a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar.

Sujata was earlier appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to serve as a Commissioner on the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities in Connecticut (CHRO). Her appointment was unanimously confirmed by the Connecticut General Assembly in both the House and the Senate. Sujata has worked with students to implement principles of community action planning in the local community and has organized human rights workshops at the United Nations and Oxford University. Sujata received her BA in Government from Cornell University, her MPhil in Politics from the New School, and her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to coming to Quinnipiac, she served as the program director of Juvenile Law, a non-profit legal education program helping students understand their rights and responsibilities under the law, and before that worked as a litigation associate.

Sujata has presented papers, given podcasts, and published articles on domestic violence law in India, First Amendment jurisprudence in the United States, and legal pluralism in constitutional discourse. And her work in political engagement is discussed in her Tedx Talk on a politics of the public good. Sujata is interested in understanding how different voices and perspectives came to shape constitutional principles and conceptions of justice in both the United States and Indian Constitutions, and is currently writing a book on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the drafting of the Indian Constitution.