How Much Power Should the President Have?

This program will take place on the St. Mary's Campus with a live Zoom option.  Both options are open to the public. Register on this page to receive a Zoom link to the virtual stream. There is no need to register for the in-person event. 

On September 17th, Constitution Day, two eminent U.S. Constitutional scholars will engage in a moderated conversation on the challenges of maintaining effective presidential leadership while preventing abuse of power. Recent public debates have renewed longstanding constitutional questions about the proper scope of executive power.

The speakers will be Vikram Amar, the Daniel J. Dykstra Distinguished Professor of Law at UC Davis Law School is one of the most eminent and frequently cited authorities in constitutional law. Dan Farber, is the Sho Sato Professor of Law and the Co-Director, Edley Center on Law & Democracy at UC Berkeley Law School. He is the author of Contested Ground: How to Understand the Limits on Presidential Power. Professor Barbara McGraw, Director of the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism and professor of Social Ethics, Law, and Public Life at Saint Mary’s College will moderate this discussion. This event is sponsored by St. Mary’s College, The Disney Forum and the League of Women Voters Diablo Valley, the League of Women Voters West Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County Library and CCTV.