College Hall, 4th Floor (Philomathean Society)
Free and open to the public / food provided

THE MITCHELL CENTER AND THE PHILOMATHEAN SOCIETY KICK OFF the 2018-19 Politics on the Edge Series with an event that recognizes that all American politics is currently perched on the edge, no more so than in the debate over how the current administration could (and perhaps should) come to an end before the next presidential election. Long before Election Day 2016, in fact, the American public had already begun debating articles of impeachment against the hypothetical presidencies of Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton. On Trump's very first day in office, over 30% of the public already supported removing him from office. Since then, Trump's presidency has been shadowed by credible threats of impeachment. What are we to make of this?  What does it say about Trump -- and what does it say about the state of our democratic system? In this talk, JOSHUA MATZ will address the origins, history, and theory of the impeachment power. He'll also explain how a focus on preserving democratic institutions in an age of broken politics might drastically alter our outlook on ending presidencies through impeachment.

JOSHUA MATZ is the Publisher of Take Care, an online platform for incisive legal analysis on a wide range of issues that takes its inspiration from Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which commands that the President “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Matz is also of counsel at Gupta Wessler PLLC and Kaplan & Company LLP. His practice specialties include appellate litigation, civil rights, consumer protection, and constitutional law. Matz is the co-author, with Laurence Tribe, of the award-winning Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution.  In May 2018, Matz and Tribe published their second book together, To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment. The Economist proclaimed this book "the definitive treatment of a vital subject." In addition, Matz has written about a wide range of legal issues, focusing on LGBT rights, religious freedom, emoluments, military service by transgender individuals, the risks of impeachment talk, and the role of the Supreme Court. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Atlantic, USA Today, ACS Blog, and Wired.