On Monday, January 23, GW Law faculty gathered in the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room to share their perspectives on the Trump Administration and the unique challenges regarding the President’s businesses. The panel included Professor Steve Charnovitz; Donald Clarke, David Weaver Research Professor of Law; Professor Emily Hammond; Alan B. Morrison, Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest and Public Service Law; and Steven L. Schooner, Nash & Cibinic Professor of Government Procurement Law. Susan L. Karamanian, Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies; Burnett Family Professorial Lecturer in International and Comparative Law and Policy, moderated the discussion.
"With the new administration comes new people through appointments, challenges to them when they are subject to senate confirmation, and the list goes on. We thought it fitting to have this event to look objectively at the legal issues that arise from the Trump administration," said Dean Karamanian.
A full audio recording of the event is available. Please see below for segments of interest.
- Susan Karamanian - Introduction (00:00:00 - 00:03:34)
"This administration has promised reexamination of trade relationships and reconsideration of our relationships on a political basis with other countries, whether those countries be China or Mexico. The administration has promised deregulation in key sectors of our society. These promises raise unique challenges."
- Alan Morrison - Constitutional Law and Supreme Court (00:03:34 - 00:10:00)
"Agencies cannot simply change their mind and reverse all the rules that have been put into effect."
- Emily Hammond - Environmental and Energy Law; Administrative Law (00:10:00 - 00:19:00)
"Most of the energy and environment issues that we're looking at in this administration, in terms of legal issues, really do boil down to administrative law."
- Steven Schooner - Government Contracts and Conflicts of Interest (00:19:00 - 00:31:30)
"This is the single most blatant conflict of interest that the President of the United States has, and it is also the easiest to fix."
- Donald Clarke - Law of China and U.S./China Relations (00:31:30 - 00:45:10)
"This is not just about us having a new and unpredictable president with unclear policy preferences, there are other things going on in U.S.-China relations."
- Steve Charnovitz - International Trade Law (00:45:10 - 00:55:10)
"Look at the way the president exercises his powers and discretion. Is he using executive orders and proclamations as a way to do an end run around the Congress?"
- Q&A and Closing Remarks - (00:55:10 - 01:31:31)