Constitutional Stress Test: An Exploration of Executive Power and Interbranch Conflict

This program brings together a trio of experts in constitutional law and federal courts practice: Hon. John E. Jones  III (Ret.), former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and current President of Dickinson College; James Pearce, Senior Counsel at the Washington Litigation Group and former appellate attorney and assistant special counsel with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.; and Stephen I. Vladeck, Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Federal Courts at Georgetown Law and New York Times bestselling author of “The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic.”  Moderated by Danielle Acker Susanj, Executive Vice President of the Fairness Center, the panel traces the constitutional origins of the separation of powers doctrine and explores how the scope and limits of executive authority have been tested across all three branches of government.  Through contemporary case studies involving Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Federal Judiciary, the panel considers where the constitutional balance stands today and where it may be headed next. 

Attorneys who attended the live broadcast of this program described it as “brilliant,” “timely,” and an “extremely important” exploration of a critical topic, with multiple attendees lauding it as “the best CLE I have ever taken.”

The program is approved by the PACLE Board for 1.5 credits (1.0 substantive, 0.5 ethics).  Attendees seeking credit outside of Pennsylvania will receive a certificate of attendance for submission within the respective jurisdiction(s).