Jeffrey Rosen joins FIRE as senior fellow, launches new podcast featuring debut guest Justice Neil Gorsuch

PHILADELPHIA, June 2, 2026 — Best-selling author Jeffrey Rosen, one of America’s foremost historians and legal analysts, has joined the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression as a senior fellow and launched a new podcast.

Presented by FIRE, Rosen’s new weekly podcast, “The Blessings of Liberty: Conversations on the Constitution, History, and the American Idea,” premiered today. The podcast brings together authors, historians, legal scholars, judges, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political spectrum for thoughtful conversations about the constitutional and historical questions at the center of American life. 

The podcast’s debut episode features none other than Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. The two discuss the radicalism of the American Revolution, the virtue needed to maintain a constitutional republic, and stories from Gorsuch’s new children’s book, “Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence.” Listen to the first episode now on Substack, or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and all major podcast platforms.

“I’m honored to be joining FIRE as a senior fellow and have long admired its inspiring mission to defend free speech from a nonpartisan perspective,” Rosen said. “Unique among American institutions, FIRE understands that defending free speech and thought requires us to defend ‘not free thought for those who agree with us,’ as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, ‘but freedom for the thought that we hate.’”

“FIRE is America’s leading organization for inspiring Americans to learn about and defend their own liberties, as James Madison hoped, by creating a culture of respect for opposing points of view to preserve, protect, and defend the First Amendment,” Rosen continued. “I’m looking forward to bringing together liberal and conservative Americans from different perspectives to model that kind of civil dialogue.” 

Rosen also will serve as a moderator for at least one session of FIRE’s Soapbox, its inaugural free speech conference, which will be held in Philadelphia from November 4-6, 2026. The conference will celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday in true American fashion through free expression, fearless debate, and civil dialogue. 

“For decades, Jeffrey Rosen has been one of the nation’s most prominent — and most indispensable — champions of civil liberties and the American experiment,” FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff said. “Adding his expertise to the FIRE team is a force-multiplier in our mission to educate Americans about the importance of constitutional rights, free speech, and engaging in civil dialogue.”

Prior to joining FIRE, Rosen was president and CEO of the National Constitution Center for 12 years before becoming its CEO emeritus in January 2026. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. Previously, he was the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for the New Yorker. 

Rosen is the author of the New York Times bestsellers “The Pursuit of Happiness” and “Conversations with RBG.” His new book is “The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America.”

Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School. He is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Law Institute. In 2024, the French government recognized him as a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them. 

CONTACT:

Karl de Vries, Director of Media Relations, FIRE: 215-717-3473; media@fire.org