skip to main content
Caltech

HSS 60th Anniversary Celebration | Keynote Conversation

Friday, November 6, 2026
4:00pm to 5:00pm
Add to Cal
Baxter Lecture Hall
Leviathan Unchained: Rethinking the Framers on Executive Power
John Ferejohn, Samuel Tilden Professor of Law, Emeritus, NYU School of Law,

The framers of the Constitution wanted a limited and small government. In conversation with Jean-Laurent Rosenthal, Rea A. and Lela G. Axline Professor of Business Economics, Ferejohn will consider three questions: Was the framers' focus on controlling the legislature, rather than the executive, a fundamental flaw? Why has the growth of the executive branch's power accelerated over the last three decades? And how much of this constitutional dynamic results from domestic forces (like race or income inequality) versus international imperatives (such as war or industrial politics)? There will be time for questions from the audience at the end of the session.

For more information, please contact Diana Bohler by phone at 626-395-4220 or by email at [email protected] or visit the HSS 60th Anniversary Celebration webpage.