‘We can't obey the law if we don't understand the law’
“We can’t obey the law if we don’t understand the law,” said Professor David Sloss to a packed audience at 91¹û¶³ÖÆƬ³§’s School of Law—fittingly, on Constitution Day. “The law should be understandable not just for lawyers, but for ordinary people.”
Making the law clear, equitable, and accessible is at the heart of the School of Law Dean Michael Kaufman’s Democracy Series, a speaker program launched in 2023 to engage students, faculty, and national thought leaders around the most pressing issues of our political moment—from immigration to the role of journalism in politics. The goal? To help students become not only skilled lawyers but also civic leaders committed to democratic accountability. Notable past speakers have included Matthew Desmond, author of “Poverty, by America,” and Stephen Bright, author of “The Fear of Too Much Justice.”
This fall’s theme—“Rule of Law”—couldn’t be more timely. The opening lecture on Constitution Day, What Do We Mean When We Say ‘Rule of Law’?, featured faculty experts in constitutional, internet, and immigration law who examined recent tensions as laws have been inconsistently applied or eroded by political polarization.
The series continued with two additional events, first Professor Paul Finkelman gave his lecture on birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment on September 22, and, later, 91¹û¶³ÖÆƬ³§ law faculty, local practitioners, and expert guests discussed how universities, nonprofits, and the press serve as critical counterweights when formal institutions falter at Guardians Beyond Government: The Role of Non-Governmental Institutions in Preserving the Rule of Law on October 29.
The series will continue into spring 2026 with panels focusing on the separation of powers, federal-state relations, and the law of war. Together, these conversations aim to give students a vocabulary—and a responsibility—for protecting the fragile framework of our democracy.
Read on for more highlights from this fall’s panels:
“The first and most important thing is to acknowledge that the rule of law doesn’t work for everybody. It’s a concept that we often hide behind, as if a society that has or complies with the rule of law is a fair society, when it really is just a starting point.” — Zahr Said, professor, tort and copyright law
“Teaching constitutional law and individual rights, I sometimes feel like I’m teaching the law of the sea aboard the Titanic. It’s never hard to point out inconsistencies or weaknesses in a Supreme Court ruling—like the decision that there can be absolutely no racial discrimination in any government action in the case of affirmative action, and then, Brett Kavanaugh shares an opinion that racial profiling is fine if you’re going after working-class Latinos in L.A.” — Nicholas Serafin, assistant professor, anti-discrimination law
“As I looked at the last decade or so, I realized I’m not a Democrat. I’m not a Republican. I am on the ‘rule of law’ party. When we start getting into the Democrat versus Republican food fight, those zero-sum games are corrosive. There are no winners—only losers. As a legal actor in a partisan environment, I think your goal is to try to get out of that food fight, to look for ways to transcend it. If you can find ways to do that, you can find opportunities for commonalities, for collaboration that aren't possible in a hyper-partisan environment.” — Eric Goldman, professor and associate dean of research, Internet law
“Universities are truth-seekers. We uncover and reveal things we didn’t even know, and from that process of inquiry comes an objective, understandable truth from which we can work together to decide how we should operate as a society.” — Marina Hsieh, clinical professor emerita
“When we speak about the media and the rule of law, the intersection point is dignity. Journalism centered on human dignity keeps the culture of law alive—through stories that remind people what’s at stake and who is being harmed.” — Subramaniam Vincent, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, director of journalism and media ethics
“Rule of law is a culture—it’s not just statutes and regulations, but norms carried forward by individuals. We shouldn’t normalize violations of it. Each of us can be culture carriers: in our work, in our lives, by walking the walk and communicating why it matters.” — David Bowker, Wilmer Hale partner
The Dean’s Democracy Series is dedicated to providing invaluable information to explore and uphold core democratic values, including freedom from tyranny, equal justice under the rule of law, judicial independence, due process, voting rights, educational opportunity, reflective dialogue, evidence-based inquiry, and respect for a diversity of viewpoints and life experiences.
