Join Professor Michael C. Dorf of Cornell Law School for a timely online conversation about how the current era has tested America’s constitutional system. From executive power to the role of the Supreme Court and the resilience of democratic norms, this discussion will examine what has changed, what has endured, and what the moment reveals about the Constitution’s capacity to withstand political strain.
About the Topic
What happens when long-standing constitutional norms confront intense political polarization and expansive claims of executive power? In this online program, Professor Michael C. Dorf of Cornell Law School examines the impact of the current era on the U.S. Constitution.
The discussion will explore the scope of presidential authority, the separation of powers, the role of the Supreme Court, and the durability of democratic guardrails. Beyond specific controversies, the program asks deeper questions: Has this period revealed structural weaknesses in the constitutional design? Or has it demonstrated the system’s capacity for resilience under stress? Also, how are recent constitutional developments situated in a broader historical context? Professor Dorf’s talk on these issues should provide us with a sharper understanding of how constitutional democracy functions in moments of strain—and what lessons the present moment may hold for the future of American self-government.
About the Speaker
Michael C. Dorf is the Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law at Cornell Law School, where he teaches constitutional law, federal courts, and related subjects. A nationally recognized constitutional scholar, he writes and lectures widely on presidential power, the Supreme Court, and the structure of American government. He is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles and is a frequent commentator on constitutional issues in major media outlets. He earned his A.B. from Harvard University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School, and previously served as a law clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court. Before joining the Cornell faculty in 2008, Professor Dorf taught at Rutgers-Camden Law School for three years and at Columbia Law School for thirteen years.
Professor Dorf has authored or co-authored well over one hundred scholarly articles and essays for law reviews, books, and peer-reviewed science and social science journals. He is the co-author (with Laurence H. Tribe) of On Reading the Constitution (Harvard University Press, 1991), the co-author (with Trevor Morrison) of The Oxford Introductions to U.S. Law: Constitutional Law (Oxford University Press, 2010), the editor of Constitutional Law Stories (Foundation Press 2004, second edition 2009), the author of No Litmus Test: Law Versus Politics in the 21st Century (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), the co-author (with Sherry F. Colb) of Beating Hearts: Abortion and Animal Rights (Columbia University Press, 2016), and a co-editor of the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of the Choper et al Constitutional Law casebook (West, 2015, 2019, 2023), the annual Supplement thereto, and the annual compact version of the casebook, Leading Cases.
Professor Dorf writes a bi-weekly column for Justia's web magazine Verdict and posts several times per week on his own blog, Dorf on Law.
He maintains an active pro bono practice that chiefly consists of writing amicus briefs in Supreme Court cases. He teaches constitutional law, federal courts, and various seminars, and is a recipient of the 2026 Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in Graduate and Professional Degree Programs.
