Congress’s Personnel Power
8/22/17 //
In-Depth Analysis
Congress should engender a robust administrative separation of powers, ensuring that a forceful bureaucracy (and an engaged public) can advance congressional priorities and check those of the President
Congress’s Constitution, the President’s Politics?
8/22/17 //
In-Depth Analysis
By Julia Azari: Is Congress doomed to react to Trump, and to wallow in the political discourse he has created like a toddler in a soiled diaper? Or can members of Congress create their own counter-narratives about the meaning and stakes of policy and process?
Versus Trump: Quick Hits
8/10/17 //
In-Depth Analysis
On this week’s episode of Versus Trump, we bring you a quick-hitting episode with multiple Trump Nuggets about such topics as the nomination of a non-scientist to a "chief scientist" position, a defamation suit that alleges collusion between the White House and Fox News, and a misplaced "only" that could change the meaning of a bill. As usual, you can listen online below, and subscribe here with any podcast player or here in iTunes.
Treason and Cyberwarfare
7/27/17 //
In-Depth Analysis
By Carlton Larson: There are two forms of treason recognized under the United States Constitution: (1) levying war against the United States; and (2) adhering to our enemies, giving them aid and comfort. Each raises slightly different issues with respect to cyberwarfare.
Undemocratic Pardoning
7/24/17 //
In-Depth Analysis
By Bernadette Meyler: History teaches that Trump should not be considering whether he possesses the power to pardon himself but rather what the consequences of employing that power would be.
Russia and 'Enemies' under the Treason Clause
7/24/17 //
In-Depth Analysis
By Carlton Larson: If we use “treason” in a loose, rhetorical sense, it is plausible to claim that Trump, Jr., Kushner, Manafort and others committed treason by knowingly meeting with a Russian operative for the purpose of obtaining dirt on Hillary Clinton. But the argument fails as a legal matter.
The Supreme Court’s Travel Ban
7/19/17 //
In-Depth Analysis
The Supreme Court is now a co-owner and co-author of the travel ban. That grows truer every time it tinkers with minutiae of this cruel, unjustified policy. And with that position comes major institutional risk to the Supreme Court’s public legitimacy.