The Trump administration has moved fast and aggressively to reshape our government. Congress has little will to assert its responsibilities. Many on both sides of the political divide believe that the courts are politicized. While judges and lower courts have ruled some Executive Orders as unconstitutional, the fate of these judgments as they move to higher courts is unknown. Still, the courts have a major role to play in maintaining the balance of power among the three branches of government and the rule of law.

Two experts who have studied our government and Constitution will help us explore these questions and others. Moderator Pat Hyer will guide the discussion and facilitate questions from the audience.

• How does the justice system function to uphold the Constitution, rule of law, and balance of power?
• How have the courts blocked or enabled administrative actions?
• What are the prospects for our democracy? 

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Speakers

Max Stephenson is Professor of Public and International Affairs and Director of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance. His research interests include nonprofit/NGO governance, leadership, management and civil society; public policy; peacebuilding, international development, and democratization.

Brandy Faulkner is Professor of Political Science and the Gloria D. Smith Professor of Black Studies at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on constitutional and administrative law, race and public policy, and critical organization theory.

Sponsors

This public forum is offered in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, Virginia, the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech, and the Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County branch of the NAACP.

Photo credit: Supreme Court of the United States, by Jesse Collins, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons