The Drake University Constitutional Law Center is pleased to announce Stephen Gardbaum as the 2020 Constitution Day speaker. Gardbaum will present “The Counter-Playbook: Resisting the Populist Assault on Separation of Powers.” The Constitution Day Lecture is scheduled for Sept. 17, 2020 at 3 p.m. and will be delivered virtually.
Gardbaum holds the Stephen Yeazell Endowed Chair in Law at UCLA School of Law. An internationally recognized constitutional scholar, his research focuses on comparative constitutional law, federalism, and the foundations of liberal legal and political theory. His numerous articles on constitutional law have appeared, among other places, in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, International Journal of Constitutional Law, and American Journal of Comparative Law. His widely-reviewed book The New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism: Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2013) explores a novel approach to protecting rights in democracy. His scholarship has been cited by the U.S. and Canadian Supreme Courts.
Gardbaum received a B.A. with first class honors from Oxford University, an M.Sc. from London University, a Ph.D. in political theory from Columbia University, and a J.D. from Yale University.
The Drake University Constitution Day Lecture is held annually to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and to recognize all U.S. citizens.
About the Drake University Constitutional Law Center
The Drake Constitutional Law Center’s mission is to foster study of the U.S. Constitution and its roots, formation, principles, and development. The Constitutional Law Center is one of only four such centers established by Congress and funded by the federal government. Throughout the year, the center hosts multiple lectures and symposiums to bring the nation’s leading constitutional scholars to campus—giving students opportunities to discuss current issues such as race, religion, politics, criminal justice, free speech, and more. Learn more about the Constitutional Law Center.
About Drake Law School For over 150 years, Drake Law School has helped launch successful careers, providing a legal education that emphasizes experiential learning backed by a solid foundation in legal theory. As the only law school in the capital city of Des Moines, students gain unparalleled access to internships, externships, and clerkships. Drake Law graduates leverage the experience gained from hands-on learning and are ready to put the law in action from day one, joining an alumni network of 6,000+ who use their law degree in all 50 states and across the globe—in every facet of the legal profession. Learn more about a legal education at Drake.