The Camden Public Library, in partnership with the ACLU of Maine, invites the community to a free program on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 6:30 p.m., in the library’s Picker Room. The event is part of the library’s celebration of Constitution Week (September 17–23) and is free and open to the public. Carol Garvan, Legal Director of the ACLU of Maine, will lead a timely discussion titled “Our Constitutional Rights in Context.”

What do laws written in the 18th and 19th centuries mean in the 21st? Garvan will explore the origins and modern-day applications of key constitutional amendments that form the bedrock of American democracy. By examining the text of these amendments and their interpretation in contemporary court cases, participants will consider the Constitution both as a historical document and as a living framework that continues to shape society today.

Before joining the ACLU of Maine, Carol Garvan worked at Johnson & Webbert, LLP, where she spent over a decade litigating civil rights and employment cases in Maine, with a focus on systemic discrimination and wage theft. While in private practice, Garvan worked to create collaborations between her firm and nonprofit organizations.

Garvan earned her Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and her Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley School of Law. Before law school, Garvan taught middle school reading in Oakland, California.