The Presidency, the 2024 Campaign and the Future of American Democracy: A Debate

This matchup promises an animated debate on a range of current political, legal, and constitutional issues facing the nation yet distinctive for its civility and civil engagement of the ideas embodied in the parties’ differing perspectives.

This event is hosted by the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government.

Speakers:

This debate features two articulate law professors and former government officials with very different political perspectives: 

  • Professor John Yoo, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, a Republican, former deputy assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush Administration, former general counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, who has served in all three branches of national government, and who is a regular commentator on FoxNews; and
  • Harry Litman, senior legal affairs columnist for the Opinion page at the Los Angeles Times, a former U.S. Attorney and deputy assistant attorney general, a Democrat who advised the Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004 and (post-election) the Obama-Biden campaign in 2008, and a regular commentator on MSNBC, CNN and CBS News.

This October 11, 2024 conversation was part of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum that answers the question “What Do We Owe Each Other?” For more information on the 2025-24 Notre Dame Forum Inauguration Series, please click here.

Since its establishment in 2005, each year the Notre Dame Forum invites campus-wide dialogue about issues of importance to the University, the nation, and the larger world. This year’s theme, chosen by Father Dowd, invites reflection on our responsibilities to one another. In a world where ideological and cultural divisions seem to have deepened, the Forum aims to bring people together across differences to face the most pressing challenges of our time.

Health and SocietyLaw and PoliticsLeadership2024 Year in ReviewCenter for Citizenship and Constitutional GovernmentDigest194digest274Notre Dame ForumUniversity of Notre Dame

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