On June 16, ACS hosted a plenary panel at the 2006 National Convention exploring some of the activities in which the Executive Branch has engaged since 9/11 pursuant to expansive assertions of presidential authority, including the expanded use of presidential signing statements, warrantless domestic surveillance, enemy combatant designations, military tribunals and torture. Panelists examined what factors prevented Congress and the Courts from asserting greater checks on executive power and possibilities about how we might return to a government of three co-equal branches. Panelists included:

• Senator Gary Hart, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Colorado; former U.S. Senator (D-CO);
• Dawn Johnsen, Professor of Law, Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington;
• Douglas Kmiec, Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law.
• Harold Koh, Dean, Yale Law School; former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor;
• Beth Nolan, Crowell & Moring LLP; former White House Counsel; and
• Ronald Weich, Senior Counsel to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV);