Legal Scholar Chemerinsky on Executive Power and The War on Terror
Nationally renowned legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky
presented a public lecture about executive power and the war on terror at the
UC Davis School of Law on Thursday, February 16. While some scholars have
defended the Bush administration's claim to broad executive authority as part
of the war on terrorism, Chemerinsky believes those claims are wrong in terms
of the history and functions of the Constitution and separation of powers.
Chemerinsky is the Alston & Bird Professor of Law at Duke Law School and a frequent commentator on a
wide range of legal issues for the national media. He has written four books on
constitutional matters and more than 100 law review articles that have appeared
in journals such as the Harvard Law Review,
Michigan Law Review, Northwestern Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law
Review, Stanford Law Review and
Yale Law Journal. He writes a regular column on the Supreme Court
for California Lawyer, Los Angeles Daily Journal and Trial Magazine.
In April 2005, Chemerinsky was named by Legal
Affairs as one of "the top 20 legal thinkers in America."
He frequently argues appellate cases, including in the United States Supreme
Court and the United States Courts of Appeals. He has testified many times
before congressional and state legislative committees. Recently he was a
witness before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Supreme Court nominee Samuel
Alito.
In addition, Chemerinsky has tirelessly devoted himself to public service. He
was named in 2004 by the Los Angeles
mayor to chair a blue ribbon commission on contracting by the city government.
In 1997, he was elected by voters to serve a two-year term as a member of the
Elected Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission. He has won numerous awards for
his legal, scholarly and public service work, including a President's Award
from the Criminal Courts Bar Association, a Freedom of Information Award from
the Society for Professional Journalists, an award for Contributions to Federal
Judicial Education and a community service award from the Western Center
on Law and Poverty.
The event was part of the Edward L. Barrett, Jr. Lectureship on Constitutional
Law, which brings prominent legal scholars to the School of Law
to challenge and enhance the legal thinking of students, faculty and the
community.
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