The Edley Center has published two new white papers, in service of dispelling misinformation and promoting the compliance with the rule of law on which democracy depends. The first white paper examines executive authority as asserted during the first months of the Trump administration, situating the assertions in historical legal context and identifying their implications for American democracy. The second examines the Trump administration’s unlawful exercise of authority to withhold federal funds from educational institutions, inconsistent with the statutory requirements in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This white paper explains the genesis of federal authority to withhold funding based on alleged discriminatory practices, the statutory framework for such fund withholding, and the constitutional framework depriving the President of legal authority to act contrary to that process.

These two white papers are the first in our ongoing series of accessible explainers of law and democracy principles in this time, with a goal to drive conversation about equal treatment under law and equip democracy defenders with the tools necessary to respond effectively to incursions on democratic norms. 

In addition, the Edley Center welcomes Bertrall Ross home to Berkeley Law, where he has joined the Edley Center as Faculty Co-Director with Dan Farber. Professor Ross is a renowned expert on voting rights and the law of democracy, and we are delighted to have his expertise with us.

We are also pleased to welcome a new Senior Fellow and two affiliated faculty to multiply our impact. 

Senior Fellow Seth Galanter, who is the principal and founder at the Rule of Law Firm in Washington, DC, is an accomplished appellate litigator; former United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division attorney; and former senior political appointee at the U.S. Department of Education during both the Obama and Biden Administrations. Galanter is working with the Edley Center to publish democracy protective information and sustain democracy.

Former faculty co-director Jonathan Gould has departed Berkeley Law for New York University School of Law, but he has joined the Edley Center from his new perch as affiliated faculty. We look forward to his continued publications and webinar presentations here at the Edley Center.

Law of democracy expert Justin Levitt, who is Professor of Law and Gerald T. McLaughlin Fellow at Loyola Law School, also joins the Edley Center as affiliated faculty. We look forward to his publications and work with the Edley Center to promote democracy.

You may also have seen that on July 4, 2025, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, with former U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge J. Michael Luttig and Drexel Law Professor Lisa Tucker, launched We Hold These Truths to promote democracy. You can join We Hold These Truths here if you have not already joined.

Onward!

Catherine E. Lhamon

Executive Director