Outside Event: Annual Constitution Day

Location:  Pfendler Hall – Dean’s Auditorium

Annual Constitution Day Keynote Presentation by Linda Greenhouse, sponsored by PAIR Center in Political Sciences. Lecture endowed by Ann & Bill Moreau in honor of Senator Birch Bayh (’51)

Title:     Preserving or Disrupting: The Supreme Court and the Balance of Power Today

Abstract: The Trump presidency has been guided by a governing philosophy that places the president at the center of power. This “unitary executive” has challenged traditional boundaries between legislative and executive power, with President Trump arguing that presidents have the right to dismantle agencies and reorganize government, absent any input from the legislative branch.  For its part, the legislature has largely acquiesced—making the Supreme Court the primary arena for today’s Constitutional showdowns. As a result, today’s justices must confront questions about separation and balance of powers that are foundational to the design of the Constitution itself.

What is the proper role of the judiciary in moments of institutional imbalance? When does judicial restraint become abdication? In this lecture, Pulitzer Prize winning author, journalist, and law professor Linda Greenhouse will explore how the Court is navigating these questions at a moment of profound stress in American democracy. Rather than prescribing answers, she will offer a framework for understanding the competing visions of constitutional governance that are shaping the Court’s decisions—and the future of the separation of powers.