Know someone (perhaps yourself!) who presented a great paper on a Presidents and Executive Politics panel at APSA in 2025? Submit a nomination for the Founders Best Paper Award by February 2!

Scenes from #Calgary and #Canmore

Today's CNN piece on the upcoming Trump v. Slaughter case includes some thoughts from me on rise of the unitary executive theory and Chief Justice John Roberts's ideas from his time in the Reagan administration. www.cnn.com/2025/12/05/p...

Enjoyed my first @socscihistory.bsky.social conference. Until next time, Chicago.

Thanks so much to @gorenlj.bsky.social for interviewing Jack Greenberg and me about 'Congressional Expectations of Presidential Self-Restraint' on the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social Political Science podcast. newbooksnetwork.com/congressiona...

We chat with @slskowronek.bsky.social about his new book "The Adaptability Paradox" and how American democracy may have outgrown the Constitution: bit.ly/3WODXPz

Today's article in the Knoxville News Sentinel about the Trump administration's messaging during the government shutdown includes some thoughts from me about the importance of the Hatch Act. www.knoxnews.com/story/news/p...

New issue! includes articles from bsky-ers @johnadearborn.bsky.social @uhackett.bsky.social @trounstine.bsky.social @michaelgreenberger.bsky.social @ayakohiramatsu.bsky.social and much more!

Until next time, Vancouver. #APSA2025

Wrote about Trump's vision of the presidency as a "mini-absolutist monarchy" (as @johnadearborn.bsky.social put it). And since the expansion of executive power has been described as a ratchet, why no future president is likely to give it up willingly www.huffpost.com/entry/donald...

Scenes from an archival research trip to the Clinton Library. #LittleRock

This HuffPost article by @paulblumenthal.bsky.social on how the second Trump administration is transforming the presidency includes some thoughts from me. www.huffpost.com/entry/donald...

Until next time, #Austin

Delighted to share my latest, History and Fetishism in the New Separation of Powers Formalism, now live in the Penn Law Review! The piece traces the emergence of the Supreme Court’s new approach to separation of powers law and argues that it is grounded in a set of basic mistakes. (1/3)

So excited to see this book out soon! Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the current moment American politics (and especially of interest to presidency and APD scholars).

New at First view and with open access! David Mayhew and Ethan Yan, "Intensity, Geography, and Time"

New on first view at SAPD! Sarah Anzia and @trounstine.bsky.social on the growth of public sector unions

Grateful to have been part of this fantastic interdisciplinary conference. There is so much great, timely research happening on the administrative state.

Then, finally, this *extremely* topical piece by @johnadearborn.bsky.social : “Contesting the Reach of the Rights Revolution: The Reagan Administration and the Unitary Executive” www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Thanks to @donmoyn.bsky.social for the opportunity to write this piece (drawing on my recent @studiesapd.bsky.social article) about the connection between conflicts over affirmative action and the unitary executive theory in the Reagan administration. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/how-reagan...

New at Can We Still Govern: Trump hates DEI and loves unitary executive theory. @johnadearborn.bsky.social traces one of rhe first early articulations of the theory in the Reagan-era assault on affirmative action, featuring a couple of current SCOTUS justices. 🧵 open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...

Today's @rollingstone.com article by @douglaslucas.bsky.social on the Republican congressional effort to pass the Reorganizing Government Act includes some thoughts from me about the history of presidential reorganization authority. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Scenes from #London and #Edinburgh

Thanks to @mattgrossmann.bsky.social for having me on the Science of Politics podcast to discuss my research on the Reagan administration, civil rights, and the unitary executive theory. www.niskanencenter.org/the-backstor...

The backstory of presidential power grabs Reagan controlled civil rights agencies, building the unitary executive theory. 1st Trump admin controlled immigration courts, but by building them up New #ScienceOfPolitics with John Dearborn & David Hausman www.niskanencenter.org/the-backstor...

"Dada's book" (aka 'Congressional Expectations of Presidential Self-Restraint,' by Jack Greenberg and me) is now out in print! www.amazon.com/Congressiona...

My article "Contesting the Reach of the Rights Revolution: The Reagan Administration and the Unitary Executive" is now online (and open access) in @studiesapd.bsky.social. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Want to know more about the origins of the unitary executive? @johnadearborn.bsky.social looks to the Reagan Administration. New at SAPD!

Scenes from an archival research trip to Texas.

New Cambridge Element 'Congressional Expectations of Presidential Self-Restraint' by Jack B. Greenberg & @johnadearborn.bsky.social. Free to read until the 30th of April 2025 - cup.org/4jfas3b #cambridgeelements #politics

Until next time, #SF

Until next time, Seattle. #WPSA2025

My article, Presidential Control and Administrative Capacity, is live with Stanford L. Rev. The argument: Administrative capacity poses a greater constraint on presidential action than a lack of control. Policymaking requires a strong federal workforce. www.stanfordlawreview.org/print/articl...

"In challenging norms and testing the boundaries of statutes regarding appointments, Trump has highlighted a critical feature of the separation of powers. He has revealed the full extent to which Congress has relied on presidential self-restraint," write Jack Greenberg & @johnadearborn.bsky.social.

'Congressional Expectations of Presidential Self-Restraint,' my new Cambridge Element coauthored with Jack B. Greenberg, is now online and is free for 2 weeks!

What happens when a U.S. president violates the law — or the norms that make them work? We preview a new book from Jack Greenberg and @johnadearborn.bsky.social about congressional expectations of self-restraint. bit.ly/425Yxyw

Very grateful for this recognition of Jack Greenberg’s and my research. #MPSA2025

Scenes from an archival research trip to the LBJ Library. #Austin

Scenes from an archival research trip to the Carter Library. #Atlanta

Stephen Skowronek, Mark Tushnet, and I were interviewed on the @scholarscircle.bsky.social podcast about the implications of the second Trump administration's initial actions and strategy for our constitutional system. scholarscircle.org/scholars-cir...

Made an appearance on Today in Nashville. www.wsmv.com/video/2025/0...

How a once-fringe theory of presidential power is upending American government www.salon.com/2025/02/08/h... @salonnewsroom.bsky.social op-ed by @johnadearborn.bsky.social, @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social Fellow Desmond King and Stephen Skowronek #PoliSky #NuffSky

Today in Salon, Stephen Skowronek, Desmond King, and I offer some thoughts on the second Trump administration's initial actions and the unitary executive theory. www.salon.com/2025/02/08/h...

Grateful for the opportunity to contribute a chapter on "Congress, the President, and the Constitutional Order" to the 13th edition of 'Congress Reconsidered.' collegepublishing.sagepub.com/products/con...

For those interested, David Mayhew has compiled the next update to his significant laws dataset, covering the 118th Congress of 2023-2024. works.bepress.com/david-mayhew...

Scenes from this week's archival research trip. 🌵 #Phoenix

Scenes from #London

Really enjoyed being part of the fantastic (and snowy!) @psaamericanpol.bsky.social conference at Keele University this past weekend.