DATE: April 11, 2024
EVENT: A Presidential Election in the Shadow of Law: Donald Trump, Constitutional Politics, and the 2024 Election

Paul Gardner is a professor in  Canadian and Comparative Politics in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University. His area of interests include American Institutions and separation of powers, public law, judicial politics, legal mobilization, constitutional law, race and law, and legal institutions. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Politics at Princeton University. His research and teaching  are broadly in American law and politics. His primary research agenda aims to understand the effectiveness of “private enforcement statutes”, federal laws in which the primary mechanism of enforcement is private litigation, rather than direct bureaucratic action.

Professor Gardner will speak on “A Presidential Election in the Shadow of Law: Donald Trump, Constitutional Politics, and the 2024 Election.” In his talk, Dr. Gardner will explore the relationship between President Trump’s various legal challenges—including challenges to his eligibility, criminal conspiracy charges following the January 6th riot, and Georgia election racketeering charges—and the upcoming election. The lecture will give consideration to how determinations of Trump’s legal culpability in these cases might affect voters’ choices in November, but also to how litigating these issues in the context of an election might affect how courts and juries decide these cases.

In recent years the Queen’s political science department has developed a special reputation for expertise in American politics, and our Canadian Club has featured a speaker from the university in Presidential election years.  As we approach the U.S. election, the political landscape changes almost daily. Our April luncheon promises to be lively and stimulating.