University Libraries' Constitution Day Forum
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Fenwick Library, Reading Room
Constitution Day Forum: Exploring Executive Power
Join us for a timely and thought-provoking panel discussion featuring three distinguished constitutional scholars who will examine the evolving nature of executive power in the United States. We have invited experts from political science, law, and history to bring these three important frameworks together to help us understand the role that the founders imagined the chief executive would play in their new republic while also addressing the role of the courts, Congress, and public opinion in shaping and responding to changes such as increasing Presidential immunity.
Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with our distinguished speakers following a moderated discussion.
Our featured constitutional scholars:
Jonathan Massey, Founding Partner, Massey & Gail LLP
Jonathan has over three decades of experience representing clients in high-stakes matters involving complex legal questions before trial and appellate courts and regulatory agencies and has argued over 60 cases in federal and state courts, including three in the U.S. Supreme Court. He clerked for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (1989 Term) and Judge Abner J. Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1988-1989).
Rosemarie Zagarri, George Mason University Distinguished University Professor
Rosemarie specializes in Early American history. She has published four books, the most recent of which is Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007; paperback, 2008). Her latest book project is called, Liberty and Oppression: Thomas Law and the Problem of Empire in Colonial British India and the Early American Republic. The Wall Street Journal named her book, A Woman's Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution, one of the "Five Best Books on Revolutionary Women." In 2023, she was elected as a Fellow of the Society of American Historians and in 2013 the GMU Board of Visitors named her a Distinguished University Professor, the highest faculty rank at the university.
Jennifer Victor, George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government
Jennifer studies the U.S. Congress, legislative organization and behavior, social network methods, political parties, campaign finance, organized interest groups, and lobbying. She holds a BA in political science from University of California, San Diego (Magna Cum Laude, 1997), and an MA (1999) and PhD (2003) in political science from Washington University in St. Louis. She serves on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, is the past president of the National Capital Area Political Science Association, and past chair of the APSA-organized section on Political Networks. She has published research in the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, American Politics Research, Party Politics, Interest Groups & Advocacy, P.S.: Political Science and Politics, and elsewhere.
Questions about this event?
Please contact Kendra Brown at 703-993-8740 or via email at kbrown95@gmu.edu
