Law and Legal

"Power and Constraint: The Accountable Presidency after 9/11"

Jack Goldsmith

About the Program

Jack Goldsmith argues that while it is commonly held that 9/11 resulted in the executive branch obtaining unprecedented and unaccountable power, the reality is that Congress pushed back against executive power in significant ways after September 2001 and placed controls on the president that most people don't realize exist.  This, he says, explains why Obama has not made a major shift away from the counterterrorism policies of the Bush Administration.  This event was hosted by the Harvard Book Store.   

About the Authors

Jack Goldsmith

Jack Goldsmith is a professor of law at Harvard University. From October 2003 to June 2004 he was an assistant attorney general with the Office of Legal Counsel.  Prof. Goldsmith is the author of "The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgement Inside the Bush Administration." 


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Program Information

"Power and Constraint: The Accountable Presidency after 9/11"

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Past Airings

  • Saturday, June 23rd at 8:12am (ET)
  • Sunday, May 20th at 3:15pm (ET)
  • Sunday, May 13th at 8pm (ET)
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