ISU Lecture Series: When Congress Steps Back: A Call for Restoring Constitutional Balance in Governance

Monday, Sep 15, 2025

6:00 pm

Sun Room, Memorial Union

Speaker: Jeffry Flake

Description: 2025 Constitution Day Lecture

The U.S. Congress was once known as the world’s greatest deliberative body, where differences were debated, compromises forged, and political courage sometimes rewarded. Today, the House and Senate too often amplify the loudest voices and calcify the most rigid loyalties. This has eroded the constitutional balance that the Founders established and that this country has depended on for more than 200 years. This country needs more leaders willing to pay a political price to uphold what they know is right.

Jeffry Flake is the former U.S. ambassador to Turkey (2022-2024) a former U.S. senator from Arizona (2013-2019). Ambassador Flake was pivotal in securing Sweden’s accession to NATO; the King of Sweden awarded Flake a Knighthood in 2025. He was born in Snowflake, Arizona, and attended Brigham Young University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in political science. He and his wife Cheryl have five children and reside in Utah.

The University Book Store will be onsite selling “Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle” at the event.