Cyril Ghosh, associate professor of political science and the Lloyd B. Politsch ’33 Chair of Law and Political Science, will give a talk on Wednesday, Feb. 26, that will take a close look at recent controversial actions taken by the Trump administration. The event, which will include time for a Q&A, will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons.
Ghosh will examine why many constitutional law professors believe that we are currently in the middle of a constitutional crisis and will offer insight into some of the policy changes that the administration has introduced.
During its first month in office, the Trump Administration has proposed a number of major changes in public policy that affect the regulation of federal funding for research activity; diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; rights related to gender identity; immigration; international aid; consumer rights; and trade.
The program will address a number of questions related to these moves. Can the president, acting unilaterally, authorize these changes? Can courts stop these changes from being implemented if they are deemed to be in violation of the U.S. Constitution? To what extent can state and local governments defend constitutional protections against federal encroachment?
Ghosh, who teaches Introduction to America Politics and Constitutional Law, notes that his classes have been engaged in discussions around these issues since the new administration took over.
“Reasonable people can disagree about whether the administration is out of line. What may be important to one person may not be important for someone else,” Ghosh says. “We are organizing this event so that Clark students can have a clear sense of what is being said by constitutional law professors, and they can make up their own minds about where they stand.”
The event is sponsored by the Political Science Department’s DEI Working Group, the Office of Identity, Student Engagement, and Access, the International Students and Scholars Office, and the Office of Student Success. It will not be livestreamed.
Information will be provided on resources that Clark community members can access if they feel they are negatively impacted by any of the recent policy changes.
