I N T R O D U C T I O N T O C O M M E N T A R Y O N
T H E A N N U A L C O N S T I T U T I O N D A Y L E C T U R E
On September 17, 2020, Professor Jack Balkin, the Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment at Yale Law School, delivered Northeastern University’s annual Constitution Day Lecture. ¹ Balkin’s lecture addressed the major arguments set forth in his recent book The Cycles of Constitutional Time, ² providing a historical perspective on America’s constitutional challenges and presenting ideas on how America might emerge from the current period of constitutional and democratic crises. Balkin was joined by three commentators, Northeastern University professors Patricia Williams (Law and Humanities), William Mayer (Political Science), and Jeremy Paul (Law). The Northeastern University Law Review continues its tradition of publishing comments from the annual Constitution Day lecturer and commentators and is proud to present the following pieces by Professors Balkin, Paul, and Mayer.
The turmoil following the 2020 presidential election—repeated attempts by the then-sitting President to undermine the democratic will of the electorate and an assault on Congress by an insurrectionist mob— underscored the importance of the issues addressed by Professor Balkin and the commentators and raised new questions and concerns. Professors Balkin and Mayer incorporated some post-election events into their pieces while Professor Paul preserved his thoughts at the time of the lecture, both valuable contributions to the literature. This temporal diversity provides readers with an opportunity to follow the authors’ train of thought as it progressed through this important moment in constitutional history. As Americans contend with pressing concerns about the vibrancy and stability of American democracy, Professor Balkin’s book and the commentary that follows provide a grounding context that helps to make sense of the possibilities and pitfalls that lie ahead.
Editorial Board
Northeastern University Law Review
1 The Northeastern University Law Review would like to thank Northeastern University Professor Claudia Haupt for organizing the annual Constitution Day Lecture and facilitating the publication of these pieces. An archived recording of the Constitution Day Lecture can be accessed on Professor Balkin’s blog, Balkinization. Jack Balkin, Constitution Day Lecture at Northeastern on The Cycles of Constitutional Time, Balkinization (Sept. 28, 2020), https://balkin.blogspot.com/2020/09/constitutionday-lecture-at.html.
2 Jack M. Balkin, The Cycles of Constitutional Time (2020).