BENJAMIN LEMON—In a wide-ranging lecture and Q&A session, Professor Ilya Somin of George Mason University made his case that the Trump Administration’s recent “emergency” tariffs stretch statutory text past its breaking point, raise profound separation-of-powers concerns, and threaten to normalize delegations that put core taxing decisions in one person’s hands. He discussed what the tariffs […]
AVERY FRIEDMAN—Professor Mark Tushnet coined the term “Constitutional Hardball” to define a series of actions that, while legal and within the bounds of our Constitution, overthrow traditions and norms for political gain. Many unwritten customs dictate processes of our government that the Constitution is silent on. Many long-term practices, such as the size of the […]
ELSA IANNOTTA—Peter Shane began his lecture by examining the unitary executive theory: the belief that Article II guarantees presidential control over the discretionary functions of the executive branch. Interpretations of the scope of presidential power vary widely, some argue the President controls officers who assist in executive functions, others claim the President can dictate how […]
KATIE BARKER—How does a democracy slip into an autocracy—and is the United States currently undergoing such a transformation? Professor Kim Lane Scheppele answered these critical questions in her guest lecture for the Constitutional Crisis Seminar, hosted by Professor A. Michael Froomkin, at the University of Miami School of Law. Professor Scheppele is the Laurance S. […]
ITIEL WAINER—On March 20, 2025, a federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois approved an unconventional class action settlement that grants class members a 23% equity stake in Clearview AI, a facial recognition start-up the class sued over privacy harms, even though the company’s sucess hinges on those harms. Despite objections from a bipartisan […]
