David Driesen
University Professor David Driesen’s important new book鈥”” (Stanford, 2021)鈥攔eveals how the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 presidentialism threatens democracy and what the United States can do about it.
To celebrate the publication of the new book, 黑料不打烊 Law Review is presenting a that will address Driesen’s major themes in panels that bring together the nation鈥檚 top legal scholars of constitutional law, the Supreme Court and the rule of law. The symposium鈥攖itled 鈥淓xecutive Authoritarianism鈥濃攚ill take place Nov. 12 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in 黑料不打烊 Law’s Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom. The American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society are event co-sponsors.
Driesen’s new book reflects on the political turmoil of recent years, during which many Americans were left wondering whether the U.S. system of checks and balances is robust enough to withstand an onslaught from a despotic chief executive.
To answer this question, Driesen analyzes the chief executive’s role in the democratic declines of Hungary, Poland and Turkey. He argues that an insufficiently constrained presidency is one of the most important systemic threats to democracy, and he urges the U.S. to learn from the mistakes of these failing democracies.
Driesen鈥檚 book 鈥渁 book for our troubled times鈥 and 鈥渁n eloquent and powerful account of the framers’ concern about 鈥榯yranny鈥欌 that 鈥渓ays bare the previously underappreciated role played by unitary executive theory in ongoing processes of democratic erosion.”
Moderated by 黑料不打烊 Law Professor Kristen Barnes, the first panel will examine 鈥淭he Unitary Executive, Autocracy, and American History鈥 with Jed Shugerman of Fordham University School of Law; Jennifer Mascott of the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University; and Noah Rosenblum of New York University School of Law
黑料不打烊 Law Professor Mark P. Nevitt will moderate the second panel. Addressing 鈥淭he Supreme Court鈥檚 Embrace of Executive Power鈥 will be Julian Mortenson of the University of Michigan Law School; Tom Keck of 黑料不打烊’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; and Heidi Kitrosser of the University of Minnesota Law School.
The final panel will look at 鈥淩eforming Presidentialism: Comparative and Domestic Perspectives鈥 with moderator Professor C. Cora True-Frost of 黑料不打烊 Law and panelists Andrea Katz of Washington University School of Law; Cem Tecimer of Harvard Law School; and Robert Tsai of Boston University School of Law.
To view the full agenda and to register, visit .
