Two constitutional law scholars from UC Davis and UC Berkeley will discuss the limits of presidential power at Saint Mary's College in Moraga on Thursday, Sept. 17.

The public forum, titled "How Much Power Should the President Have?", runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Claeys Room of the Soda Center, according to Lamorinda Weekly. The date marks Constitution Day, the anniversary of the document's signing in 1787. The event is open to the public, with no admission price listed. A Zoom option is also available.

Vikram Amar, the Daniel J. Dykstra Distinguished Professor of Law at UC Davis Law School, and Dan Farber, the Sho Sato Professor of Law and co-director of the Edley Center on Law & Democracy at UC Berkeley Law School, will lead the conversation. Barbara McGraw, a professor of Social Ethics, Law, and Public Life at Saint Mary's College and director of the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism, will moderate.

Both scholars bring active credentials to the stage. Farber wrote "Contested Ground: How to Understand the Limits on Presidential Power." Amar co-authored a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in February in a birthright citizenship case, Trump v. Barbara, according to SCOTUSblog.

The discussion will address how to balance effective leadership with preventing abuse of power, whether that balance has been achieved and what the nation's founders would think of the modern presidency. Event organizers said recent public debates have renewed longstanding questions about the proper scope of executive power.

Sponsors include Saint Mary's College, The Disney Forum, the League of Women Voters Diablo Valley, the League of Women Voters West Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County Library and CCTV. Residents who want to attend by Zoom can register through the Contra Costa County Library website.

Upcoming in Lamorinda

  • Thursday, Sept. 17: "How Much Power Should the President Have?" forum, 7:30–9 p.m., Soda Center, Saint Mary's College, Moraga. Free. Zoom registration available through the Contra Costa County Library.
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: Lamorinda voters head to the polls for contested local races and a parcel tax measure.