WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Biden’s Initial Steps to Reduce Gun Violence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2021   WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Biden’s Initial Steps to Reduce Gun Violence Yesterday, President Biden announced six initial actions to address the gun violence public health epidemic. Delivering remarks from the White House Rose Garden, he reminded survivors, their families, and community leaders that tackling gun violence is one of his highest priorities, and his Administration won’t wait to take long overdue actions that saves lives. President Biden also announced that is he nominating David Chipman to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the key agency enforcing our gun laws. Americans across the country agree that we need urgent action to reduce gun violence, make our communities safer, and save lives. They applauded President Biden for working alongside them in the fight to keep us all safe. See below for what they are saying: Gun Violence Prevention Leaders and Advocates Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Founder, Giffords: “President Biden promised to take action on gun violence in his first 100 days in office, and today he delivered. Days like today are why we fought so hard to bring a gun safety champion to the White House. These executive actions help address a crisis that devastates communities across the country on a daily basis. Today we have hope that a brighter future is in store. Thank you, President Biden.” [Statement, 4/8/21] John Feinblatt, President, Everytown for Gun Safety: “Each of these executive actions will start to address the epidemic of gun violence that has raged throughout the pandemic, and begin to make good on President Biden’s promise to be the strongest gun safety president in history. In particular, ghost guns allow anyone, anywhere to easily obtain an untraceable firearm, and the Biden administration’s decision to treat them like the deadly weapons they are will undoubtedly save countless lives – as will the critical funding provided to groups that focus on city gun violence. We are also thrilled about the nomination of David Chipman to head the ATF, whose extensive law enforcement experience makes him uniquely qualified for the job. David will be an invaluable point person as this administration looks to fight illegal gun trafficking and end the special treatment of the gun industry. Finally, we are glad to hear the administration’s commitment that today’s actions are just the beginning, and look forward to continuing to work closely with them to end gun violence in this country.” [Statement, 4/7/21] Greg Jackson, Advocacy Director, Community Justice Action Fund: “It’s been 8 years since I survived gun violence and since then over 800,000 people have been directly impacted by the same violence that almost took my life. Last year saw the highest single year increase in homicides, and our communities have already survived over 100 mass shootings. Ending gun violence requires a comprehensive strategy that involves multiple agencies within government, so we are proud to witness the first President step up to address gun violence in this way.” [Press Release, 4/8/21] Pastor Michael McBride: “The $5 billion investment in community-based violence prevention initiatives and direction for federal agencies to provide support to these initiatives as quickly as possible is a need shot in the arm for urban America which has been left to deal with gun violence on our own without resources. Too often Black and Brown communities have been left out of the conversation around gun violence prevention – our daily tragedies glossed over by the public and met only with more policy and further criminalization of our communities. But even with limited resources, we have successfully reduced gun violence in cities across the country through efforts that engage and respond to the needs of communities. These critical investments did not just happen overnight and are proof that there is no power greater than the power of people organizing for their communities. Today, we breath a sign of relief seeing decades of organizing come together, with renewed energy in the fight for safer, more prosperous communities.” [Statement, 4/8/21]   Shannon Watts, Founder, Moms Demand Action: “This is a huge victory for the gun safety movement and we applaud President Biden for his strong leadership. For years, our grassroots volunteers have fought NRA-backed leaders in Washington as they ignored the fact that more than 100 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded every day –– but now, President Biden is making it clear that those days are over. These much-needed executive actions will start saving lives right away, and our grassroots army of nearly 6 million supporters looks forward to standing behind President Biden as he urges the Senate to follow his lead and act.” [Statement, 4/7/21] Kris Brown, President, Brady: "Brady has said before that President Biden is the strongest gun violence prevention champion ever to occupy the Oval Office. Today, he has proved that true once again. President Biden's actions will address gun violence and its many forms, from mass shootings to community violence as well as suicide by gun which account for over 60 percent of gun deaths each year. President Biden’s actions are historic and they will have an immediate impact. These are tangible and powerful policies that will save lives. From taking action to stop untraceable ‘ghost guns’ to investment in community violence interventions, these actions target the many facets of gun violence and address this crisis as a public health epidemic. These executive actions, coupled with President Biden’s prudent nomination of David Chipman to serve as Director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives mark a historic day for gun violence prevention in America. Perhaps most importantly, President Biden and the Biden-Harris Administration have shared that they are not finished and that these are an initial step in their bold agenda to stop gun violence. Brady applauds today’s announcement and celebrates the continued attention and action to save lives. Of course, President Biden cannot solve this problem alone. Congress must act, as well. Solving this crisis will take an all of government approach. This is a historic moment and opportunity for the movement to prevent gun violence and we must seize it.” [Statement, 4/7/21] Christian Heyne, Maisha Fields, and Liz Dunning, Survivors and Vice Presidents of Policy, Organizing, and Development, Brady: “We wake up every morning with the pain and trauma caused by having our loved ones taken from us because of our country’s unfettered access to firearms. Today, our survivor community feels truly represented in the Oval Office. As gun violence survivors and activists, we applaud President Biden’s clear commitment to this issue. He has shown once again that he understands the urgency of acting to end America’s gun violence epidemic, and he has demonstrated that he will not hesitate to act to, as he said today, ‘turn pain into purpose.’ We thank President Biden, Vice President Harris and Attorney General Garland for standing up with survivors and standing up to the gun lobby so we can create a future where Americans can live free from the fear of gun violence." [Statement, 4/8/21] Amber Goodwin, Founder and Executive Director, Community Justice Action Fund: “We applaud President Biden’s historic Executive Actions to address gun violence in our country. The public health crisis of gun violence has destroyed communities of color for decades, and we are honored to work with a President that understands the urgency of immediate action. Our organization was built specifically to support moments like this where we can continue to build power with and for communities of color to end gun violence.” [Press Release, 4/8/21] Mark Barden, Co-Founder and Director, Sandy Hook Promise: “I am honored to be here in our nation’s capital to continue our work with President Biden to end gun violence. Creating a model for state Extreme Risk Protection Orders and ensuring ghost guns are captured in the Background Checks system are two important ways of making our families and communities safer. Coupling these key measures with more investment in community-based prevention programs reflect the holistic approach we need to effectively address this epidemic.” [Press Release, 4/8/21] Nicole Hockley, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Sandy Hook Promise: “I am deeply grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for their leadership to end the slow-motion mass murder happening every day in our nation due to gun violence. But today’s actions are just the first steps. We need our Senators to step up and take bipartisan action to expand Background Checks. The future of our families and communities depend on this simple, life-saving legislation.” [Press Release, 4/8/21] Fatimah Loren Dreier, Executive Director, The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention: “I'm honored and humbled that @POTUS, @KamalaHarris and named HVIPs as part of comprehensive solutions to support community violence. Thank you @AmbassadorRice for your steadfast commitment to black and brown communities @TheHAVI” [Tweet, 4/8/21] The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention: “Today’s historic action by @POTUS to address the scourge of gun violence is the result of years of hard work by dedicated advocates who refused to give up. #FundPeace” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Jamira Burley: “I started my activism 17 years ago because of the murder of my brother & today, for the first time in US History A Presidential administration @POTUS will be investing $5 billion over 8yrs to support community violence intervention programs” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Luis Jonathan Hernandez, Founder and Executive Director, Youth Over Guns: “At the Rose Garden awaiting @POTUS & @VP for a historic announcement on six executive actions to address gun violence. The time is now, grateful for this administration’s commitment to ending this public health crisis.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] March For Our Lives: "After struggling to be seen, heard and valued by the former administration, President Biden’s executive actions to address gun violence are a welcomed pivot toward human-centered policies that will create a safer society. Young people have called for bold, forceful action to end this crisis and we are encouraged to see the administration begin to fulfill some of its campaign promises, especially in the wake of a series of preventable gun tragedies. Just last week, the White House announced a $5 billion investment into community-based violence prevention programs—a strategy pioneered by frontline Black activists that is proven to de-escalate conflicts before they end with guns. This is a critical step toward treating the gun violence epidemic as the public health crisis that it is, and we will keep fighting to protect this investment and reimagine public safety. Today’s executive order to track “ghost guns,” or untraceable firearms assembled from kits, will be another important tool to reduce the kinds of preventable everyday gun violence that don’t usually happen with assault rifles. Instead, they inflict trauma that isn’t covered by national news, disproportionately hurting and killing people of color. Even so, there remains more to be done. We've called on President Biden to issue executive orders that close the boyfriend loophole, and hold gun manufacturers accountable by revoking licenses from manufacturers who break the law. We are hopeful that the Department of Justice will prioritize these issues in their reporting and investigation. We’ve also urged the president to appoint a Director of Gun Violence Prevention, reflecting the understanding that this crisis disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable populations, and requires the full weight of our government to bring innovative, comprehensive solutions.” [Statement, 4/8/21] Chelsea Parsons, Vice President, Gun Violence Prevention at the Center for American Progress: "Today’s announcement signals the beginning of a new era of gun safety in this country, with strong leadership once again in the White House that understands the gravity of this problem and is poised to take real action to address it. The actions announced today strike at some of the most urgent facets of the gun violence crisis: from the need for a significantly increased investment in community-based violence prevention programs, to closing some of the most dangerous gaps that allow the gun industry to innovate around the law, to providing crucial information about gun trafficking that can help shape policy. These are meaningful actions, the impact of which will be far-reaching." [Statement, 4/8/21] Stop Handgun Violence: "Thank you Joe! - “This is not a partisan issue for the American people and I’m ready to work with anyone to get these done.” -@JoeBiden #EndGunViolence" [Tweet, 4/8/21] Cities United: "Today, as part of a package of initial actions to reduce gun violence, the Biden-Harris Administration announces historic investments in community violence intervention to combat the gun violence epidemic." [Tweet, 4/8/21] The 97 Percent: "This is a smart step in the right direction. We are glad to see significant action from the Executive Branch. #97Percent of Americans agree, it's time for pragmatic solutions to make background checks and red flag laws a reality." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Fred Guttenberg of Parkland, Florida: "On February 14, 2018 my daughter Jaime was murdered in the Parkland school shooting. Jaime and I have been on a journey since to save lives. @POTUS, thank you for listening. I am truly emotional at the significance of this. JAIME, WE DID IT!!!" [Tweet, 4/8/21] Brandon Wolf, Pulse Survivor: “Joe Biden visited Orlando in the aftermath of the shooting and promised we would honor their lives with action. Today, almost 5 years later, we take a huge step together. I’m honored to be at the White House for the historic moment. It’s time to tackle gun violence in America.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Igor Volsky, Executive Director, Guns Down America: "Thrilled Biden is nominating new ATF Director & taking executive action to reduce gun violence -- it's leadership we need! I hope @POTUS also engages actively w/ Congress to pass legislation tightening our nation's gun laws We crave comprehensive approach to tackle this crisis." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mi Familia Vota: "We welcome these executive actions from @POTUS to protect our most vulnerable communities across the country from gun violence. Now we need Congress to act." [Tweet, 4/8/21]   Senators Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy: “In Joe Biden, we finally have a president who is ready to treat gun violence like an epidemic we can solve. Today’s Executive Actions are an important first step toward stemming the tide of violence that ends 100 American lives every single day. These modest, common sense actions will help stop the proliferation of untraceable ghost guns, encourage states to adopt red flag laws and invest in community intervention programs to prevent violence before it happens,” said Murphy. “I’ve been working hard over the last two weeks, talking to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle about the need to expand background checks. The NRA’s influence is fading, the gun violence prevention movement is stronger than ever, and the prospect to pass lifesaving legislation that is supported by more than 90% of Americans has never been better.” [Statement, 4/7/21] Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal: “This is the most significant executive action on gun violence in a generation. These actions set a model of courage and strength that Congress must now match. I am especially glad to see the Biden Administration taking steps to expand the use of Emergency Risk Protection Orders. For years, I have worked to provide additional support for states seeking to help law enforcement take action when there is solid evidence that someone is in crisis — intensely and imminently a danger to themselves or to others. ERPO laws are already on the books in 19 states and Washington, DC and a model bill that provides best practices and critical guidance will help even more states follow suit.” [Statement, 4/7/21] Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey: “My staff and I are reviewing the executive actions announced by President Biden today. Lasting progress though is made through the legislative process. I appreciate President Biden’s expressed willingness to work with both Republicans and Democrats to achieve this goal. If done in a manner that respects the rights of law-abiding citizens, I believe there is an opportunity to strengthen our background check system so that we are better able to keep guns away from those who have no legal right to them.” [Statement, 4/8/21] Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey: “.@POTUS is taking decisive action to confront the crisis of gun violence in our country. Congress needs to do its part now. We can't allow Republican Senators to prevent the passage of these lifesaving measures by using arcane Senate procedure. It's time to act. [Tweet, 4/8/21] Washington Senator Patty Murray: “The epidemic of gun violence has torn apart families & ravaged communities for far too long. @POTUS' steps today to reduce gun violence are an important start—& I'll keep working to make sure the Senate does its part & passes long-overdue gun safety legislation. [Tweet, 4/8/21]   Members of Congress Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman and California Congressman Mike Thompson: “Today is a new day and I’m proud to have a President willing to do the tough work needed to help prevent gun violence and save lives. We need action on all fronts, from the President and the Congress, to help keep our communities safe. Gun violence takes thousands of lives each year and costs our country nearly $300 billion each year. It’s an epidemic and we must act to combat it. Today’s Executive Actions are an important piece of what is needed to get ahead of the curve. These actions will better regulate ghost guns which increasingly are being used in gun violence incidents and concealable rifles like the gun used in the Boulder mass shooting. These are actions I have led the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force in asking the President to take. The President also announced that the Department of Justice will do an annual report on firearm trafficking and support more evidence-based community violence intervention programs, important moves that the Task Force also requested. Finally, the President announced his intention to nominate David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. David has been a steadfast leader on gun violence prevention with decades of experience in law enforcement and I was proud to support his nomination. These executive actions are critical steps forward in our work to prevent gun violence. But they cannot be our last steps as more action is still needed. I remain firm in my work to ensure the Senate holds a vote on H.R. 8, my bipartisan bill to expand background checks and save lives. Our work must continue.” [Press Release, 4/8/21] Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath: “Americans continue to die every day from gun violence. Families live in fear of losing a loved one, of sending them off to school and never seeing them return, and of feeling the same pain my family feels every day. This gun violence is unacceptable, it is unconscionable, and we must do better. A majority of Americans support common-sense measures to help stop this violence, and today, I am truly proud to stand with the President as he fights for future generations, for survivors, and for mothers like me. I thank him and Attorney General Garland for their courage and their action to save American lives.” [Statement, 4/8/21] Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse: “The actions that President Biden has announced today will save lives, and are important first-steps in enacting common-sense, gun violence prevention measures. Last week, we sent a request to the White House asking for swift action to regulate concealable assault-style firearms, and we are grateful this request was included in the actions taken by the President today. In addition to these steps, it’s critical that the House and the Senate take bold steps to approve comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation. We must do everything we can to stop the epidemic of gun violence and frequent mass shootings that have plagued our nation for far too long.” Florida Congresswoman Demings: “Guns in the wrong hands kill innocent people, including innocent civilians, law enforcement officers, and their own holders. 2020 was the deadliest year for gun violence in decades, and I am sick and tired of watching our children, parents, neighbors, police officers, and friends gunned down in needless acts of violence. President Biden’s orders are measured, evidence-based, and carefully targeted. They will crack down on gun trafficking, ghost guns, and gun modifications that make mass shootings more deadly. They will help local law enforcement remove guns from volatile situations before violence can erupt. Simply put, they will save lives." [Statement, 4/8/21] Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver: "Gun violence is an epidemic—and the American people want Congress and the administration to take action. With the Senate GOP refusing to act, I’m happy to see @POTUS doing what he can to #EndGunViolence." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Illinois Congressman Bill Foster: "Thank you @POTUS for taking action. Thoughts and prayers are not enough." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell: "Gun violence has inflicted trauma on communities across our country including schools, work, grocery stores, places of worship, shopping centers, among others.@POTUS' actions show we can take action to address this senseless violence." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "We celebrate this progress, because it will save lives & so many sacrificed so much just to get us here. Thank you @POTUS. Now let’s build on it." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Florida Congressman Ted Deutch: "As Americans are demanding action to #EndGunViolence, @POTUS made it clear that he is listening. @DavidChipman has spent his career fighting to save lives by enforcing the law & advocating for sensible gun legislation. As @ATFHQ Director, he’ll help make our communities safer." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth: "Today, @POTUS announced Executive Actions to help stop the scourge of gun violence in this country. The Senate must now pass our common sense legislation to strengthen background checks, close loopholes, and help keep Americans safe from gun violence." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly: "The @NRA is headquartered in my district. I am their Congressman — much to their dismay. I’m thrilled to see @POTUS take them on directly with these commonsense Executive actions." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Nevada Congrseswoman Dina Titus: "Gun violence is a public health crisis. I’m grateful that we have a @POTUS who is acting with urgency to address it." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Rep. Julia Brownley: "I applaud @POTUS for taking the bold and courageous action on gun violence prevention that this country has long been calling for. Sadly, #VenturaCounty knows all too well the heartbreaking and devastating impact of gun violence. This is true leadership. This will save lives."  [Tweet, 4/8/21] Colorado Congressman Jason Crow: "As a hunter, gun owner, & former Army Ranger, I know weapons of war have no place in our communities. @POTUS’s EAs will save lives & take common-sense steps to combat the gun violence epidemic. The House is ready. @POTUS is ready. The Senate must follow our lead & act now."  [Tweet, 4/8/21] Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams: Gun Violence is an epidemic in this country that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities. As we commit to ending #GunViolence, @POTUS Biden and @HouseDemocrats are working to ensure our laws address the protection of ALL people. #NPHW. [Tweet, 4/8/21] California Congressman Jared Huffman: "Gun violence is an epidemic, and inaction is not an option. @POTUS has committed to commonsense, constitutional steps to stop this tragedy and save lives. The Senate should build on POTUS’ actions and pass gun violence prevention bills like the House did earlier this year." [Tweet, 4/8/21] New York Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez: "The first step to safer cities is common sense gun regulation. @POTUS’s new plan is step one on what must become a long line of actions in protecting our communities. The time for action is now, not the next time we have to mourn the loss of life." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Indiana Congressman Andre Carson: @POTUS is right -- Thoughts and prayers for victims of gun violence aren't enough. We also need action. I welcome his executive actions on gun safety. Congress must also continue our efforts to pass common sense reforms that save lives. [Tweet, 4/8/21] New York Congresswoman Kathleen Rice: "I commend @POTUS for taking executive action to make our communities safer from gun violence. But he is right that legislation is still needed. We must pass the Assault Weapons Ban. And the Senate must act on the background check bills we already sent to them." [Tweet, 4/8/21]   State Attorneys General Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey: “This is incredible news. Addressing ghost guns and investing in violence intervention programs will save lives, and together these actions are a strong first step toward ending the public health crisis that is gun violence in America.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring: "It is so refreshing and encouraging to have a partner in the @WhiteHouse who is committed to reducing gun violence and saving lives, rather than the previous president who was beholden to the gun lobby and obstructed progress at every turn.We have lost too many Virginians and too many Americans to gun violence, but for too long we have not changed the status quo in this country. Last year, Virginia passed a number of gun violence prevention measures including the proven-effective one-handgun-a-month law, a red flag law, comprehensive background checks, and more, and I’m so glad to see the @POTUS @VP Administration following suit at the federal level." [Twitter thread, 4/8/21] Connecticut Attorney General William Tong: “Eight years ago in the aftermath of the murder of 26 children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut passed some of the toughest gun laws in the nation in the hope that such violence would never touch our state again. Since then, we have continued to strengthen our state's commitment to sensible gun violence prevention. Tragically though, we’ve seen thousands more lives claimed by gun violence across the United States. Gun violence does not respect state borders and while CT’s gun laws might be among the strongest in the nation, they can only go so far without strong federal action. That is why it is so important that @POTUS is committing to address gun violence with common sense reforms. The majority of Americans support — indeed demand — common sense gun measures. Thank you President Biden for taking a stand to make all Americans safer.” [Tweet thread, 4/8/21] Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro: "For so many years, spineless lawmakers have refused to act on commonsense gun safety — ignoring pleas of gun violence survivors & of law enforcement. We've long known the reforms needed to make us more safe. Today, @POTUS showed the courage to act. Ghost guns have become criminals’ weapon of choice & are fueling gun violence across the U.S. That’s why I’ve taken repeated action for years to regulate these untraceable, unserialized firearms. I commend @POTUS for this critical step to make us more safe. Let’s keep working. Today @POTUS directed the DOJ to begin, within 30 days, the process of requiring buyers of ghost guns to undergo background checks. This is what so many in the community have been pushing for. It’s what I’ve been working towards. It’s a big win in the fight against gun violence." [Tweet, tweet, tweet, 4/8/21] Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh: “Ghost guns have rapidly become a significant public safety problem in communities across the country. I applaud the Administration’s actions to crack down on the proliferation of these unregulated weapons.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] New Jersey Attorny General Gurbir Grewal: We're encouraged by the actions @POTUS is taking today to reduce gun violence in America, and pleased to see the federal government borrowing important chapters from our playbook. Here are a few more pages on New Jersey’s leadership in the fight for gun safety: [Tweet, 4/8/21] Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel: .@MIAttyGen @dananessel issued the following statement applauding President Joe Biden for his executive orders to combat gun violence. [Tweet, 4/8/21]   Mayors Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, President, U.S. Conference of Mayors: “Nearly every day, mayors throughout the country are reminded that COVID-19 is not the only pandemic we face as a nation. Gun violence stemming from easy access to guns has been rocking our cities for decades, leaving friends and families of victims to soothe aching wounds with platitudes of thoughts and prayers. Meanwhile, mayors and other city leaders standby, dumbfounded by the nation’s unwillingness to take actions that will reduce the violence, and frustrated by their own lack of control over gun safety measures.The actions announced today by President Biden are both sorely needed and a welcome step towards reducing the violence plaguing our country – violence that has only escalated during the pandemic.  The nation’s mayors thank the President for his bold actions and for making this an administration priority. Further, we echo his call for Congress to take action and specifically urge the Senate to use this moment to quickly consider and pass critical legislation adopted by the House a month ago that would greatly strengthen the nation’s background check system." [Statement, 4/8/21] Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark, NJ: “I was invited because of the work we have been doing in the community to address violence as a public health issue. It was refreshing to hear the President and US Attorney General Merrick Garland say that violence cannot be solved by police alone. They recognize what we have long known: crime must be prevented before it starts. We must disconnect residents from drugs, gangs, and violence and re-connect them with jobs, training, and career opportunities. We must separate deadly weapons from people with deadly intentions. I am proud to come here today and show that Newark supports President Biden’s bold leadership.” [Statement, 4/8/21] Mayor Robert Garcia of Long Beach, CA: “As a Californian and friend, I’m beaming with pride watching our @VP Kamala Harris take on gun violence and support the incredible work of @POTUS Joe Biden. This is an epidemic and Congress must act on gun safety legislation.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, CA: “TY, @POTUS. The trauma suffered in our cities by the pandemic of gun violence is felt every day. The real commitment to fund violence-prevention efforts, like our Ceasefire, will help us stop tragedies before they occur, and move us toward healing.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC: “I applaud President Biden for taking action and for recognizing that the status quo can no longer be accepted when it comes to gun violence in our country.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, KY: “Over & over, we see gun violence create devastating tragedies for families across the US, including in Louisville. Poll after poll shows support for common sense laws to prevent this public health epidemic.”; “I'm thankful that @POTUS & @VP are taking the 1st of many necessary steps.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, CO: Thank you @POTUS for showing leadership today in the fight to end gun violence. Now, the Senate has to do their part. Today, I’m joining my fellow #MayorsAgainstIllegalGuns members and urging the Senate to act on background checks." [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway of Madison, WI: “Thank you @POTUS for showing leadership today in the fight to end gun violence. Now, the Senate has to do their part. Today, I’m joining my fellow #MayorsAgainstIllegalGuns members and urging the Senate to act on background checks.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City, NY: “THIS is a step in the right direction. We can create a new reality in America, a reality where gun violence does not ravage communities across the country. Thank you @POTUS for your leadership. Now the Senate has got to finish the job.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Todd Gloria of San Diego, CA: “I applaud @POTUS for addressing the gun violence epidemic that has devastated families and torn apart communities in #SanDiego and across the United States. This is more than just thoughts and prayers – this is action.”; “As a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, I thank the President for including specific regulation on ‘ghost guns,’ which are untraceable, easy to purchase and can be built at home. In 2020, the @SanDiegoPD recovered 210 ghost guns in our city.”; “These actions are just a start to prevent gun violence. I urge the Senate to take swift action on the two gun bills the House has already passed. These bills will help keep weapons out of the hands of criminals, reduce needless violence & create a safer nation. #ForAllofUs” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Steve Schewel of Durham, NC: “Thank you @POTUS for showing leadership today in the fight to end gun violence. Now, the Senate has to do their part. Today, I’m joining my fellow #MayorsAgainstIllegalGuns members and urging the Senate to act on background checks. #MoreThanThoughtsAndPrayers” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando, FL: “I join my fellow @usmayors in thanking @POTUS for taking bold action today to address gun violence in our country, which is a public health epidemic. Orlando and too many other American communities know the heartbreak of gun violence.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose, CA: “I applaud the efforts of @POTUS @JoeBiden to reduce gun violence. We need more robust reforms to reduce gun harm that Congress won’t support, but cities like @CityofSanJose are leading.” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Steve Benjamin of Columbia, SC: “Thankful for @POTUS calling on ATF to regulate ghost guns. Ghost guns are untraceable firearms sold in DIY kits with NO background check & the fastest-growing threat to gun safety. I’m proud to be a plaintiff in a lawsuit pushing for ATF regulation. #MayorsAgainstIllegalGuns” [Tweet, 4/8/21] Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, IL: "Chicagoans and Americans across the country agree: we need immediate action to reduce gun violence. @POTUS’s actions today will save lives by increasing funding for proven community-based violence interventions, calling on the ATF to regulate untraceable firearms and more."; "I'm proud Chicago is a plaintiff in a lawsuit pushing for ATF regulation and grateful to the Biden-Harris administration for responding to community calls to address the epidemic of gun violence."; "Now, it’s time for Congress to take urgent action and close loopholes in the background check system. Pass #HR8 and #HR1446 now." [Tweet, 4/8/21]

 

President Biden to Sign Executive Order Creating the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2021   President Biden to Sign Executive Order Creating the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States   President Biden will today issue an executive order forming the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, comprised of a bipartisan group of experts on the Court and the Court reform debate. In addition to legal and other scholars, the Commissioners includes former federal judges and practitioners who have appeared before the Court, as well as advocates for the reform of democratic institutions and of the administration of justice. The expertise represented on the Commission includes constitutional law, history and political science. The Commission’s purpose is to provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals. The topics it will examine include the genesis of the reform debate; the Court’s role in the Constitutional system; the length of service and turnover of justices on the Court; the membership and size of the Court; and the Court’s case selection, rules, and practices.  To ensure that the Commission’s report is comprehensive and informed by a diverse spectrum of views, it will hold public meetings to hear the views of other experts, and groups and interested individuals with varied perspectives on the issues it will be examining. The Executive Order directs that the Commission complete its report within 180 days of its first public meeting. This action is part of the Administration’s commitment to closely study measures to improve the federal judiciary, including those that would expand access the court system. The two co-chairs of this Commission are Bob Bauer, Professor of Practice and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at New York University School of Law and a former White House Counsel, as well as Yale Law School Professor Cristina Rodriguez, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice.   COMMISSIONERS   Michelle Adams Michelle Adams is a Professor of Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she teaches Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, and Federal Civil Rights. At Cardozo, she is a Director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy and was a Board Member of the Innocence Project. Adams has published in the Yale Law Journal, the California Law Review, and the Texas Law Review. She recently appeared in “Amend: The Fight for America,” a 2021 Netflix documentary about the 14th Amendment. She is the author of The Containment: Detroit, The Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North, forthcoming in 2022 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Previously, she was a Law Professor at Seton Hall Law School, practiced law at the Legal Aid Society, and served as a Law Clerk for Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV in the Southern District of New York. Adams holds a B.A. from Brown University, a J.D. from City University of New York Law School, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, where she was the first Charles Hamilton Houston Scholar. She is a two-time recipient of Cardozo’s Faculty Inspire Award.   Kate Andrias (Rapporteur) Kate Andrias is a Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. She teaches and writes about constitutional law, labor and employment law, and administrative law, with a focus on problems of economic and political inequality. Her work has been published in numerous books and journals, including the Harvard Law Review, the NYU Law Review, the Supreme Court Review, and the Yale Law Journal. In 2016, Andrias was the recipient of Michigan Law School’s L. Hart Wright Award for Excellence in Teaching. Andrias previously served as special assistant and associate counsel to President Obama, and as chief of staff of the White House Counsel's Office. A graduate of Yale Law School, she clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Hon. Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.   Jack M. Balkin Jack M. Balkin is Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment at Yale Law School. He is the founder and director of Yale’s Information Society Project, an interdisciplinary center that studies law and new information technologies. He also directs the Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression, and the Knight Law and Media Program at Yale. Balkin is a member of the American Law Institute and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and founded and edits the group blog Balkinization. His most recent books include The Cycles of Constitutional Time, Democracy and Dysfunction (with Sanford Levinson), Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking (7th ed. with Brest, Levinson, Amar, and Siegel), Living Originalism, and Constitutional Redemption: Political Faith in an Unjust World.   Bob Bauer (Co-Chair) Bob Bauer is Professor of Practice and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the New York University School of Law and Co-Director of NYU Law’s Legislative and Regulatory Process Clinic. Bauer served as White House Counsel to President Obama from 2009 to 2011. In 2013, the President named him to be Co-Chair of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration. He is co-author with Jack Goldsmith of After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency (2020), books on federal campaign finance and numerous articles on law and politics for legal periodicals. He has co-authored numerous bipartisan reports on policy and legal reform, including “The American Voting Experience: Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration” (Presidential Commission on Election Administration, 2014); “The State of Campaign Finance in the United States” (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2018); and “Democratizing the Debates” (Annenberg Working Group on Presidential Campaign Debate Reform, 2015); ; He is a Contributing Editor of Lawfare and has published opinion pieces on constitutional and political law issues in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, among other publications.   William Baude William Baude is a Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Constitutional Law Institute at the University of Chicago Law School, where he teaches federal courts, constitutional law, conflicts of law, and elements of the law. His most recent articles include Adjudication Outside Article III, and Is Quasi-Judicial Immunity Qualified Immunity? He is also the co-editor of the textbook, The Constitution of the United States, and an Affiliated Scholar at the Center for the Study of Constitutional Originalism. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the Yale Law School, and a former clerk for then-Judge Michael McConnell and Chief Justice John Roberts.    Elise Boddie Elise Boddie is a Professor of Law and Judge Robert L. Carter Scholar at Rutgers University. An award-winning scholar, Boddie teaches and writes about constitutional law and civil rights and has published in leading law reviews. Her commentary has appeared multiple times in The New York Times, as well as in The Washington Post, among other national news outlets. Boddie has served on the national board of the American Constitution Society and the board of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and is the founder and director of The Inclusion Project at Rutgers. Before joining the Rutgers faculty, Boddie was Director of Litigation for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. and supervised its nationwide litigation program, including its advocacy in several major U.S. Supreme Court cases. An honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale, she also holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Boddie clerked for Judge Robert L. Carter in the Southern District of New York. She is a member of the American Law Institute and an American Bar Foundation Fellow. In 2016, Rutgers University President Barchi appointed Boddie a Henry Rutgers Professor in recognition of her scholarship, teaching, and service. In 2021, Boddie was named the founding Newark Director of Rutgers University’s Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice.   Guy-Uriel E. Charles Guy-Uriel E. Charles is the Edward and Ellen Schwarzman Professor of Law at Duke Law School. He writes about the relationship between law and political power and law’s role in addressing racial subordination. He teaches courses on civil procedure; election law; constitutional law; race and law; legislation and statutory interpretation; law, economics, and politics; and law, identity, and politics. He is currently working on book, with Luis Fuentes-Rohwer, on the past and future of voting rights, under contract with Cambridge University Press. He is also co-editing, with Aziza Ahmed, a handbook entitled Race, Racism, and the Law, under contract with Edward Elgar Publishing. This book will survey the current state of research on race and the law in the United States and aims to influence the intellectual agenda of the field. He clerked on the Sixth Circuit for the late Judge Damon J. Keith. He has published numerous articles in top law journals. He is the co-author of two leading casebooks and two edited volumes. He is also a member of the American Law Institute. On July 1, 2021, he will become the inaugural Charles J. Ogletree Jr. Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.   Andrew Manuel Crespo Andrew Manuel Crespo is a Professor of Law at Harvard University where he teaches and writes about criminal law and procedure. Professor Crespo’s scholarship has been published in multiple leading academic journals including the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, and the Columbia Law Review. Prior to beginning his academic career, Professor Crespo served as a Staff Attorney with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where he represented over one hundred people accused of crimes who could not afford a lawyer. Professor Crespo graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review and was the first Latino to hold that position. Following law school, he served as a law clerk to Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit before going on to serve for two years as a law clerk at the United States Supreme Court, first to Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and then to Associate Justice Elena Kagan during her inaugural term on the Court.   Walter Dellinger Walter Dellinger is the Douglas Maggs Emeritus Professor of Law at Duke University and a Partner in the firm of O’Melveny & Myers. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal and is the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Lawyer, the American Constitution Society and the Mississippi Center for Justice. Dellinger served in the White House and as Assistant Attorney General and head of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) from 1993 to 1996. He was acting Solicitor General for the 1996-97 Term of the US Supreme Court, He has argued 25 cases before the United States Supreme Court and has testified more than 30 times before committees of Congress. He has published in academic journals including the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal and the Duke Law Journal, and has written extensively for the Washington Post, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, and other publications. In 1987-88 he was a scholar at the National Humanities Center and has lectured at universities throughout the United States and other countries including China, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, and Denmark. He graduated from University of North Carolina and Yale Law School and served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.   Justin Driver Justin Driver is the Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He teaches and writes in the area of constitutional law, education law, and prison law. His book, The Schoolhouse Gate: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind, was selected as a Washington Post Notable Book of the Year, an Editors’ Choice of the New York Times Book Review, and received the Steven S. Goldberg Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law, among numerous other honors. A recipient of the American Society for Legal History’s William Nelson Cromwell Article Prize, he has a distinguished publication record in the nation’s leading law reviews and has also written extensively for general audiences. He is an editor of the Supreme Court Review and an elected member of the American Law Institute. He holds degrees from Brown, Oxford (where he was a Marshall Scholar), Duke (where he received certification to teach public school), and Harvard Law School (where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review). After graduating from Harvard, he clerked for Judge Merrick Garland, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Ret.), and Justice Stephen Breyer.   Richard H. Fallon, Jr. Richard H. Fallon, Jr., joined the Harvard Law School faculty as an assistant professor in 1982 and is currently Story Professor of Law. He is also an Affiliate Professor in the Harvard University Government Department. Fallon is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School. He also earned a B.A. degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Before entering teaching, Fallon served as a law clerk to Judge J. Skelly Wright and to Justice Lewis F. Powell of the United States Supreme Court. Fallon has written extensively about Constitutional Law and Federal Courts Law. He is the author of The Nature of Constitutional Rights: The Invention and Logic of Strict Judicial Scrutiny (Cambridge University Press, 2019); Law and Legitimacy in the Supreme Court (Harvard University Press, 2018), The Dynamic Constitution (Cambridge University Press, 2d ed. 2013), and Implementing the Constitution (Harvard University Press, 2001) and a co-editor of Hart & Wechsler’s The Federal Courts and the Federal System (7th ed. 2015). Fallon is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Law Institute. He is a two-time winner of Harvard Law School’s Sacks-Freund Award, which is voted annually by the School’s graduating class to honor excellence in teaching. In 2021, the Federal Courts Section of the American Association of Law Schools honored Fallon with its lifetime achievement award.   Caroline Fredrickson Caroline Fredrickson served as the President of the American Constitution Society from 2009-2019. Fredrickson has published works on many legal and constitutional issues and is a frequent guest on television and radio, including serving as a regular on-air commentator on impeachment. Before joining ACS, Fredrickson served as the Director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office and as General Counsel and Legal Director of NARAL Pro-Choice America. In addition, she served as the Chief of Staff to Senator Maria Cantwell, of Washington, and Deputy Chief of Staff to then-Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, of South Dakota. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. Fredrickson is currently an elected member of the American Law Institute, co-chair of the National Constitution Center’s Coalition of Freedom Advisory Board, a member of If/When/How’s Advisory Board, and on the boards of American Oversight and the National Institute of Money and Politics. In 2015 Fredrickson was appointed a member of the Yale Les Aspin Fellowship Committee. Fredrickson received her J.D. from Columbia Law School with honors and her B.A. from Yale University in Russian and East European Studies summa cum laude, phi beta kappa. She clerked for the Hon. James L. Oakes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.   Heather Gerken Heather Gerken is the Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law at Yale Law School and one of the country’s leading experts on constitutional law and election law. A founder of the “nationalist school” of federalism, her work focuses on federalism, diversity, and dissent. Gerken’s work has been featured in the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, and the Stanford Law Review as well as The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, NPR, and The New York Times. In 2017, Politico Magazine named Gerken one of The Politico 50, a list of idea makers in American politics. At Yale, she founded and runs the country’s most innovative clinic in local government law, the San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project (SFALP). Gerken is also a renowned teacher who has won awards at both Yale and Harvard. She was named one of the nation’s “twenty-six best law teachers” in a book published by the Harvard University Press. She became dean of Yale Law School on July 1, 2017.   Nancy Gertner Nancy Gertner was United States District Court Judge (D. Mass.) from 1994-2011. She retired to join the faculty at Harvard Law School and has been a Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School. Prior to 1994, Gertner was a civil rights and criminal defense lawyer. Named one of “The Most Influential Lawyers of the Past 25 Years” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, she has published widely on sentencing, discrimination, forensic evidence, women’s rights, and the jury system. Her autobiography, “In Defense of Women: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate,” (Beacon Press) was published in 2011. She is coauthor of “The Law of Juries” (Thomson Reuters, 2021). She is the author of an edited volume of the dissenting and majority opinions of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Talbot, forthcoming). She is writing a memoir, “Incomplete Sentences” (Beacon, forthcoming) about the men she has sentenced. A graduate of Barnard College, with a M.A in Political Science and J.D. from Yale, she clerked for Justice Luther Swygert, Chief Judge, 7th Circuit. She has received numerous awards, including the ABA’s Margaret Brent Award, the National Association of Women Lawyers’ Arabella Babb Mansfield Award, and the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association. In October 2014, she was a resident scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, Italy.    Jack Goldsmith Jack Goldsmith is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and co-founder of Lawfare. He teaches and writes about national security law, presidential power, cybersecurity, international law, internet law, foreign relations law, and federal courts. Before coming to Harvard, Professor Goldsmith served as Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel from 2003-2004, and Special Counsel to the Department of Defense from 2002-2003.   Thomas B. Griffith Thomas B. Griffith served on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit from 2005 – 2020. He is now Special Counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth, a Senior Advisor to the National Institute for Civil Discourse, and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. During his tenure on the D.C. Circuit, Judge Griffith served on the Judicial Conference's Committee on the Judicial Branch, which is concerned with the federal judiciary's relationship to the Executive Branch and Congress, and the Code of Conduct Committee, which sets the ethical standards that govern the federal judiciary. Prior to his appointment to the D.C. Circuit, Judge Griffith was the General Counsel of Brigham Young University. Previously he served as Senate Legal Counsel, the nonpartisan chief legal officer of the U.S. Senate, and before that was a partner at Wiley, Rein & Fielding. Judge Griffith has long been active in the American Bar Association's rule of law projects in Eastern Europe and Eurasia and is currently a member of the International Advisory Board of the CEELI Institute in Prague. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of Virginia School of Law.   Tara Leigh Grove Tara Leigh Grove is the Charles E. Tweedy, Jr., Endowed Chairholder of Law and Director of the Program in Constitutional Studies at the University of Alabama School of Law. After graduating summa cum laude from Duke University and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, Grove clerked for Judge Emilio Garza of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She then spent four years as an appellate attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, arguing fifteen cases in the courts of appeals. Grove has written extensively about the federal judiciary, exploring issues related to judicial legitimacy and judicial independence. Grove’s work has been published in prestigious law journals, such as the Harvard Law Review, the Columbia Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the New York University Law Review, the Cornell Law Review, and the Vanderbilt Law Review. Grove has served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.   Bert I. Huang Bert I. Huang is Michael I. Sovern Professor of Law at Columbia University, where he received the Reese Prize for Excellence in Teaching from the law school's graduating class. The university has also recognized him with its Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching. At Columbia, he created the Courts & Legal Process colloquium to bring judges, students, and faculty together to discuss new academic research about the judiciary; and he previously served as a vice dean. He has also taught at Harvard. He served as the president of the Harvard Law Review and as a law clerk for Justice David H. Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court. He also clerked for Judge Michael Boudin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He completed his J.D. and Ph.D. at Harvard University, where he was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow. After receiving his A.B. from Harvard, he was a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford and worked for the White House Council of Economic Advisers.   Sherrilyn Ifill Sherrilyn Ifill is the President & Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the nation’s oldest and premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality. Ifill began her career as a Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union, and then as an Assistant Counsel at LDF where she litigated voting rights cases in the South. In 1993 Ifill joined the faculty at University of Maryland School of Law, where she taught civil procedure, constitutional law, and a broad range of civil rights and clinical offerings. Her scholarship focused on the critical importance of a racially diverse judiciary to the integrity of judicial decision-making. Ifill also studies and writes about racial violence. Her critically acclaimed book, On The Courthouse Lawn: Confronting The Legacy Of Lynching In The 21st Century, is credited with inspiring contemporary conversations about lynching and reconciliation. Since returning to LDF as its 7th President & Director-Counsel in 2013, Ifill has led the organization’s bold advocacy in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, on behalf of clients fighting voter suppression, racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, and a broad array of other urgent civil rights issues. Ifill is a member of the American Law Institute and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She holds an undergraduate degree from Vassar College, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and numerous honorary doctorates.   Michael S. Kang Michael S. Kang is the William G. and Virginia K. Karnes Research Professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and nationally recognized expert on campaign finance, voting rights, redistricting, judicial elections, and corporate governance. His research has been published widely in leading law journals and featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Forbes, among others. His recent work focuses on partisan gerrymandering; the influence of party and campaign finance on elected judges; the de-regulation of campaign finance after Citizens United; and so-called “sore loser laws” that restrict losing primary candidates from running in the general election. Kang previously served as the Thomas Simmons Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. He received his BA and JD from the University of Chicago, where he served as technical editor of the Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif. He also received a PhD in government from Harvard University and an MA from the University of Illinois. After law school, he clerked for Judge Kanne on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and worked in private practice at Ropes & Gray in Boston.   Olatunde Johnson Olatunde Johnson is the Jerome B. Sherman Professor of Law at Columbia Law School where she teaches and writes about legislation, administrative law, antidiscrimination law, litigation, and inequality in the United States. In February 2020, she was appointed by the United States Department of Justice to the Resolutions Committee honoring Justice John Paul Stevens. In 2016, she was awarded Columbia University’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, and Columbia Law School’s Willis L.M. Reese Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Previously, Professor Johnson served as constitutional and civil rights counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee and as an attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Professor Johnson graduated from Yale University and from Stanford Law School. After law school, she clerked for Judge David Tatel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Justice John Paul Stevens on the United States Supreme Court.    Alison L. LaCroix Alison L. LaCroix is the Robert Newton Reid Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. She is also an Associate Member of the University of Chicago Department of History. Professor LaCroix is the author of The Ideological Origins of American Federalism (Harvard University Press, 2010), and in 2018 she was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for her current book project, titled The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery From the Long Founding Moment to the Civil War (Yale University Press, forthcoming). Before joining the University of Chicago faculty in 2006, she practiced in the litigation department at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York. Professor LaCroix received her B.A. and J.D. from Yale University, and her A.M. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.   Margaret H. Lemos Maggie Lemos is the Robert G. Seaks LL.B. ’34 Professor of Law, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, and faculty co-advisor for the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School. She is a scholar of constitutional law, legal institutions, and procedure. Her current research focuses on the institutions of law interpretation and enforcement, including both public and private lawyers, and their effects on substantive rights. Lemos is also a co-author of a new multidisciplinary coursebook on judicial decision making. She teaches courses on civil procedure, legislation, and judicial process, and was awarded Duke’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2013. Prior to joining the Duke Law faculty, Lemos was an associate professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; a Bristow Fellow at the Office of the Solicitor General; and a law clerk for Judge Kermit V. Lipez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.A. from Brown University.   David F. Levi David F. Levi is the Levi Family Professor of Law and Judicial Studies and Director of the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School. Levi was previously the James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean of the Duke Law School. He served as dean for 11 years from 2007-2018. Prior to his appointment at Duke, Levi was the Chief United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California with chambers in Sacramento. He was appointed to the district court in 1990. From 1986-1990 he was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California. Following graduation from Stanford Law School in 1980, Levi served as a law clerk to Judge Ben C. Duniway of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and then to Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., of the U.S. Supreme Court. Levi has served as member and chair of two U.S. Judicial Conference committees — the Advisory Committee on the Civil Rules and the Standing Committee on the Rules of Practice and Procedure. He was chair of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the American Judicial System (2014-2016). He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author or co-author of several books, articles, and published speeches mostly on the judiciary, judicial independence, and judicial decision-making. He is President of the American Law Institute.   Trevor W. Morrison Trevor Morrison serves as Dean of NYU School of Law, where he is also the Eric M. and Laurie B. Roth Professor of Law. He previously held faculty appointments at Cornell Law School and Columbia Law School. Morrison’s research and teaching interests are in constitutional law (especially separation of powers), federal courts, and the law of the executive branch. After graduating from Columbia Law School, he served as a law clerk to Judge Betty Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court. Between those clerkships, he was a Bristow Fellow in the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of the Solicitor General, an attorney-adviser in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, and an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale). Morrison also served as associate counsel to President Barack Obama. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and a member of the American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.   Caleb Nelson Caleb Nelson is the Emerson G. Spies Distinguished Professor of Law and the Caddell and Chapman Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned his A.B. from Harvard College and his J.D. from Yale Law School. After law school, he clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Clarence Thomas on the United States Supreme Court. He joined the Virginia faculty in 1998. At Virginia, he has taught Federal Courts, Civil Procedure, Legislation, and Constitutional Law. His articles have appeared in the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the Michigan Law Review, the NYU Law Review, the University of Chicago Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review (forthcoming), the Virginia Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal. He is also the author of a casebook on statutory interpretation, published by Foundation Press. He is a member of the American Law Institute and a past winner of the University of Virginia’s All-University Teaching Award. He has also taught as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and as the James S. Carpentier Visiting Professor at Columbia Law School.   Richard H. Pildes Professor Richard H. Pildes is Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law and one of the country’s leading experts on the legal aspects of American democracy and government. His academic work focuses on all aspects of the political process, as well as legal issues concerning the structure of American government, including the powers of the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court. His two casebooks, The Law of Democracy and When Elections Go Bad, created the law of democracy as a field of study in the law schools. In addition to editing the book, The Future of the Voting Rights Act, he has published more than seventy academic articles. Pildes has represented numerous clients before the Supreme Court. He served as a law clerk at the Court to Justice Thurgood Marshall and to Judge Abner J. Mikva of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He has testified several times before the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Born in Chicago, he began his teaching career at the University of Michigan Law School, before moving to NYU. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Law Institute, as well as a Guggenheim Fellow.   Michael D. Ramsey Michael D. Ramsey is Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law, foreign relations law, and international law. He is the author of The Constitution’s Text in Foreign Affairs (Harvard University Press 2007), co-editor of International Law in the U.S. Supreme Court: Continuity and Change (Cambridge University Press 2011), and co-author of two casebooks, Transnational Law and Practice (Aspen 2015) and International Business Transactions: A Problem-Oriented Coursebook (12th ed., West 2015). His scholarly articles have appeared in publications such as the Yale Law Journal, the University of Chicago Law Review, the Georgetown Law Journal and the American Journal of International Law. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Dartmouth College and his J.D. summa cum laude from Stanford Law School. Prior to teaching, he served as a judicial clerk for Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Justice Antonin Scalia of the United States Supreme Court, and practiced law with the law firm of Latham & Watkins. He has taught as a visiting professor at the University of California, San Diego, in the Department of Political Science and at the University of Paris – Sorbonne, in the Department of Comparative Law.   Cristina M. Rodríguez (Co-Chair) Cristina M. Rodríguez is the Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Her fields of research and teaching include constitutional law and theory, immigration law and policy, and administrative law and process. Her new book, The President and Immigration Law (with Adam B. Cox) was published by Oxford University Press in September 2020, and explores the long history of presidential control over immigration policy and its implications for the future of immigration law and the presidency itself. Rodríguez joined Yale Law School in 2013 after serving for two years as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice. She was on the faculty at the New York University School of Law from 2004–2012 and has been Visiting Professor of Law at Stanford, Harvard, and Columbia Law Schools. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Law Institute, a non-resident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., and a past member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a past recipient of the Yale Law Women Award for Excellence in Teaching. She earned her B.A. and J.D. degrees from Yale and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, where she received a Master of Letters in Modern History. Following law school, Rodríguez clerked for Judge David S. Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court.   Kermit Roosevelt Kermit Roosevelt is a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he teaches constitutional law and conflict of laws. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School. Before joining the Penn faculty, he practiced appellate litigation with Mayer Brown in Chicago and clerked for D.C. Circuit Judge Stephen F. Williams and Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter.   Bertrall Ross Bertrall Ross is the Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law, election law, administrative law, and statutory interpretation. Ross’s research is driven by a concern about democratic responsiveness and accountability, as well as the inclusion of marginalized communities in administrative and political processes. His past scholarship has been published in several books and journals, including the Columbia Law Review, the NYU Law Review, and the University of Chicago Law Review. Ross is currently working on book projects related to separation of powers, gerrymandering, and voter data as a tool for disfranchisement. Ross has been the recipient of the Berkeley Law Rutter Award for Teaching Distinction, the Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin, the Princeton University Law and Public Affairs Fellowship, the Columbia Law School Kellis Parker Academic Fellowship, and the Marshall Scholarship. He is currently a public member of the Administrative Conference of the United States. Ross earned his law degree from Yale Law School and Masters degrees from the London School of Economics and Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. Prior to joining Berkeley Law, he clerked for Judge Dorothy Nelson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Myron Thompson of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.   David A. Strauss David Strauss is the Gerald Ratner Distinguished Service Professor of Law and the Faculty Director of the Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic at the University of Chicago. He is the author of The Living Constitution (Oxford University Press, 2010) and the co-author of Democracy and Equality: The Enduring Constitutional Vision of the Warren Court (Oxford University Press, 2019), and he has written many academic and popular articles on constitutional law and related subjects. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a co-editor of the Supreme Court Review. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard and Georgetown. He has served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States, in the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice, and as Special Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has argued nineteen cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.   Laurence H. Tribe Laurence Tribe is the Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard University. Tribe has taught at Harvard since 1968 and was voted the best professor by the class of 2000. The title “University Professor” is Harvard’s highest academic honor, awarded to a handful of professors at any given time and to fewer than 75 professors in Harvard University’s history. Tribe clerked for the California and U.S. Supreme Courts; was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1980 and the American Philosophical Society in 2010; helped write the constitutions of South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the Marshall Islands; and has received eleven honorary degrees, most recently a degree honoris causa from the Government of Mexico in March 2011 (never before awarded to an American) and an LL.D from Columbia University. Tribe has argued 35 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. He was appointed in 2010 by President Obama and Attorney General Holder to serve as the first Senior Counselor for Access to Justice. He has written 115 books and articles, most recently, “To End A Presidency: The Power of Impeachment.” His treatise, “American Constitutional Law,” has been cited more than any other legal text since 1950.   Adam White Adam White is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and an assistant professor of law at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, where he directs the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State. He writes on the courts, the Constitution, administrative law, and regulatory policy. He is a public member of the Administrative Conference of the United States, and he serves on the board of the Land Conservation Assistance Network. Previously he practiced constitutional and administrative law in Washington, D.C., and he clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In 2005, the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy published his study of the Senate’s constitutional power to grant or withhold its “advice and consent” for judicial nominations.   Keith E. Whittington Keith E. Whittington is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University and is currently the chair of Academic Freedom Alliance. He works on American constitutional history, politics and law, and on American political thought. He is the author of Repugnant Laws: Judicial Review of Acts of Congress from the Founding to the Present and Political Foundations of Judicial Supremacy: The Presidency, the Supreme Court, and Constitutional Leadership in U.S. History, among other works. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, and the University of Texas School of Law, and he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Texas at Austin and completed his Ph.D. in political science at Yale University.   Michael Waldman  Michael Waldman is the president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to strengthen the systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Center is a leading national voice on voting rights, money in politics, criminal justice reform, and constitutional law. Waldman has led the Center since 2005. He is the author of The Fight to Vote (2016), a history of the struggle to win voting rights for all citizens, The Second Amendment: A Biography (2014), and five other books. Waldman served as director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton from 1995-1999, and special assistant to the president for policy coordination from 1993-1995. He was responsible for writing or editing nearly two thousand speeches, including four State of the Union and two inaugural addresses. He is a graduate of NYU School of Law and Columbia College.    ###