Also, RSVP now for a conversation about ongoing attacks on the Voting Rights Act.
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The Rise of the Imperial Presidency
Tuesday, August 5, 3–4 p.m. ET
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for this free virtual event
The executive branch has amassed tremendous power, challenging the constitutional balance among branches of government. This year alone, the president has ignored the laws passed by Congress to fire leaders of independent agencies without cause, freeze the spending of appropriated funds, and deploy the military as a domestic police force.
Supporters of vast presidential power have a name for this: the unitary executive. It’s the idea that the Constitution gives the president full personal control over the executive branch and wide latitude to act unilaterally. While legal scholars debate its scope, the theory in its most expansive form envisions a king-like president largely unconstrained by Congress or the courts. An embrace of this theory by the executive branch and the Supreme Court could carry far-reaching consequences for American democracy.
Join us for a virtual event on Tuesday, August 5, at 3 p.m. ET with historians and legal experts. The conversation will examine the modern presidency, the origins of the unitary executive theory, and its implications for the future of checks and balances.
Speakers: Samuel Breidbart, Counsel, Brennan Center Democracy Program // Jane Manners, Associate Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law // Julian Davis Mortenson, James G. Phillipp Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School // Cristina Rodríguez, Deputy Dean, Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law, Yale Law School // Moderator: Wilfred U. Codrington III, Walter Floersheimer Professor of Constitutional Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
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The Past, Present, and Future of the Voting Rights Act
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Tuesday, August 19, 3–4 p.m. ET
RSVP
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for this free virtual event
In 1965, a nonviolent voting rights march in Alabama culminated in a televised, brutal attack by state police. The public outrage that followed prompted Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, a law meant to dismantle racially discriminatory barriers to voting. Since then, this landmark civil rights law has faced continued attacks. The Supreme Court has weakened its protections, most notably in the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder. And just this summer, a lower court ruling in Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe blocked voters in seven states from using the Voting Rights Act to challenge racially discriminatory voting practices.
There’s good news: The Supreme Court put the Turtle Mountain decision on hold while it considers whether to take up the case. But the very fact that we’re celebrating a temporary pause on the near destruction of the Voting Rights Act’s last remaining protection illustrates how bad things have gotten in the courts. Thankfully, the courts don’t have the only say. The 15th Amendment gives Congress the power to safeguard the right to vote through new legislation.
Join us on Tuesday, August 19, at 3 p.m. ET for a virtual discussion with experts, advocates, and legislators. They will explore the history of the Voting Rights Act, its impact on voters today, and what it will take to ensure fair representation for all.
Speakers: Alexander Keyssar, Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy, Harvard Kennedy School // Sean Morales-Doyle, Director, Brennan Center Voting Rights and Elections Program // Lenny Powell, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund // Nikema Williams, U.S. Representative (D-GA) // Moderator: Natalie Tennant, Kanawha County Commissioner; Former West Virginia Secretary of State
RSVP
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