The Dangerous Rise of the Imperial Presidency in America

Dictator for Life?

Join a discussion on how the once-fringe idea of a unitary executive is now central to debates over presidential power. While legal scholars debate its scope, the theory in its most expansive form envisions a king-like president largely unconstrained by Congress or the courts.

Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 12 PM – 1 PM PT

Info: https://www.brennancenter.org/events/rise-imperial-presidency

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@brennancenter


The executive branch has amassed tremendous power, challenging the constitutional balance among branches of government. This year alone, the president has unlawfully attempted to eliminate birthright citizenship, unilaterally frozen funds, and deployed the military as a domestic police force. And all of it without consulting Congress.

Supporters of vast presidential power have a name for this: the unitary executive. It’s the idea that the Constitution gives the president full personal control over the executive branch and wide latitude to act unilaterally. While legal scholars debate its scope, the theory in its most expansive form envisions a king-like president largely unconstrained by Congress or the courts. An embrace of this theory by the executive branch and Supreme Court could carry far-reaching consequences for American democracy.

Join us for a virtual event on Tuesday, August 5, at noon PT (3 p.m. ET) with historians and legal experts. They will examine the modern presidency, the origins of the unitary executive theory, and its implications for the future of checks and balances.

Speakers:

--Samuel Breidbart, Counsel, Brennan Center Democracy Program

--Jane Manners, Associate Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law

--Julian Davis Mortenson, James G. Phillipp Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School

--Cristina Rodríguez, Deputy Dean and Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law, Yale Law School

--Moderator: Wilfred U. Codrington III, Walter Floersheimer Professor of Constitutional Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law