As part of its regular event series, the Harvard Law School Library recently hosted Claire Finkelstein, Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy and director at the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, for a talk and discussion on “Sovereignty and the New Executive Authority,” a volume of essays co-edited by Finkelstein and Michael Skerker, an associate professor in the Leadership, Ethics, and Law department at the U.S. Naval Academy.
The volume’s 15 essays, drawn from among the disciplines of law, political, science, philosophy, and international relations covers an expansive series of topics, from historical theories and international affairs, to governmental transparency and legitimacy. The volume also focuses on the changes in the concept of sovereignty post-9/11 in the United States and their impact on democracy and the rule of law, particularly in the area of national security practice.
Joining Finkelstein for the discussion were Harvard Law Professors Charles Fried and Adrian Vermeule. Fried, who holds the Beneficial professorship, contributed a chapter to “Sovereignty and the New Executive Authority” titled “Defining and Constraining the Sovereign.” Vermeule is the Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law at HLS and author or co-author of nine books, most recently “Law’s Abnegation: From Law’s Empire to the Administrative State.”