Democracy at Risk: Democracy, Elections, and the Courts

Featuring:
Jacob Grumbach, Associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley
Orin Kerr, Professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, William G. Simon Professor of Law
Emily Zhang, Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley School of Law
Professor Grumbach will discuss trends in American democracy, with a focus on how the multilevel institutions of American federalism are responding-or not responding-to popular majorities.
Professor Kerr will discuss how the conservative majority on the Supreme Court believes democracy is at risk-and sees its rulings as designed to save it.
Professor Zhang will discuss election-law related challenges in the upcoming election
Americans have long taken for granted a baseline level of democracy and the rule of law. We have often fallen short of fully realizing those ideals, but for most of the past century there were few worries that the country might fall into authoritarian rule. Today, many worry that we have entered an era of democratic backsliding. The 2024 election heightens those fears for many, but the problems facing our democracy are more deeply rooted. This speaker series will address those fears and consider possible responses.