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Penn State Law at University Park campus to host presidential impeachment panel

Heidi Kitrosser, left, Robins Kaplan Professor of Law at University of Minnesota Law School, and Keith E. Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, will discuss presidential impeachment during a panel discussion Jan. 16 on Penn State's University Park campus. Credit: Penn State Law / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Law in University Park will host two leading constitutional law experts, University of Minnesota professor Heidi Kitrosser and Princeton University professor Keith E. Whittington, on Thursday, Jan. 16, for a panel discussion titled "Presidential Impeachment: Historical Context and Current Controversies."

The event is co-hosted by two student groups, the American Constitution Society (ACS) and the Federalist Society, as well as the Penn State Law dean’s office.

The event will include a 4:30 p.m. reception in the Lewis Katz Building Atrium followed by a panel discussion at 5:30 p.m. in the Sutliff Auditorium of Katz, both of which are free and open to the public. Dean Hari Osofsky of Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs will moderate the discussion, and ACS President Shifa Abuzaid and Federalist Society President Dallas Kephart will introduce the speakers. Registration for this event is open online. The panel discussion will be livestreamed, beginning at 5:30 p.m., with the link available on the event page prior to the start.

Kitrosser, Robins Kaplan Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, is a constitutional law expert who focuses on federal government secrecy and on separation of powers and free speech. Her book, "Reclaiming Accountability: Transparency, Executive Power, and the U.S. Constitution," published in 2015 by the University of Chicago Press, was awarded the 2014 IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize. Kitrosser’s articles have appeared in many venues, including Supreme Court Review, Georgetown Law Journal, UCLA Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, and Constitutional Commentary. In 2017, she was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship to begin work on a book project on U.S. government whistleblowers.

Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, is widely published on American constitutional theory and development, federalism, judicial politics and the presidency. He is the author of "Repugnant Laws: Judicial Review of Acts of Congress from the Founding to the Present," which won the Thomas M. Cooley Book Prize; "Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech," which won the PROSE Award for best book in education and the Heterodox Academy Award for Exceptional Scholarship; and "Political Foundations of Judicial Supremacy: The Presidency, the Supreme Court, and Constitutional Leadership in U.S. History," which won the C. Herman Pritchett Award for best book in law and courts and the J. David Greenstone Award for best book in politics and history. His other works include "Constitutional Construction: Divided Powers and Constitutional Meaning," "Constitutional Interpretation: Textual Meaning, Original Intent, and Judicial Review," "Judicial Review and Constitutional Politics," and "American Political Thought: Readings and Materials."

Located on Penn State’s University Park campus, Penn State Law offers all the resources of a world-class, public research institution while also featuring a student-centered academic environment. With a curriculum taught by renowned legal experts, interdisciplinary study opportunities across Penn State’s largest campus, ample clinical and experiential learning opportunities, exposure to emerging technology, and an individualized approach to career services that includes comprehensive mentoring, the Penn State Law J.D. Program is designed to give students the capacity to accomplish their professional goals.

Last Updated January 14, 2020