Roots, Rights, & Reason - The Bill of Rights: America’s Shield of Liberty - Erielle Azerrad

In this week’s episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith welcomes attorney Erielle Azerrad for a timely exploration of the Bill of Rights, America’s shield of liberty and the cornerstone of our freedoms.

Azerrad traces the fierce debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists that gave rise to the Bill of Rights, explaining why these amendments were added to the Constitution and how they continue to shape American life. She highlights the First Amendment as the defining hallmark of American freedom and warns that growing efforts to criminalize speech pose a dangerous threat to liberty.

The discussion also examines the unique vulnerability of the Second Amendment in today’s cultural and political climate, the Supreme Court’s evolving role in defining rights, and why recognizing our liberties as God-given (not government-granted) is essential to preserving them.

Drawing on her expertise in constitutional law, Azerrad makes clear that safeguarding the Bill of Rights requires vigilance from every generation. She underscores that these protections were never intended to empower government, but to restrain it, ensuring that individual liberty endures against tyranny.

New episodes drop every Wednesday at 3 PM ET.