Duquesne University Chancellor and Professor of Law Ken Gormley will deliver the prestigious 2026 Judge William O.E. Sterling Constitution Day Lecture at St. Mary’s College of Maryland on Constitution Day, Sept. 14. Gormley, a nationally recognized and highly respected Constitutional scholar, will examine presidential power in his lecture.
Entitled “Presidents and the Constitution: The Fragile Balance of Power in American Democracy,” Gormley will examine the evolving history of presidential power in the United States. He will detail how it intersects, and sometimes collides, with the powers of Congress, the courts, and the states. Gormley will also examine recent expansions of executive power, particularly during the second Trump administration.
Gormley, who served as president for 10 years at Duquesne University and as dean for seven years at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, is well-respected in the field of Constitutional Law. He has testified in the United States Senate three times and testified in the Pennsylvania Senate on State Constitutional matters.
Esteemed in his field, Gormley has organized and moderated programs examining constitutional issues with notable figures, such as U.S. Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia and Sonia Sotomayor, former President Gerald R. Ford and former Vice President Mike Pence. Additionally, he collaborated with the National Constitution Center on major public programs, many of which have been broadcast by C-SPAN.
Gormley is the author of several books, including the award-winning “Archibald Cox: Conscience of a Nation” (Perseus Books), which received the 1999 Bruce K. Gould Book Award for an outstanding publication relating to the law.
Gormley’s most recent nonfiction book, “Presidents and the Constitution: A Living History,” examines the constitutional challenges faced by every U.S. president. An updated edition will include a chapter on President Donald Trump’s second term and is scheduled for publication in 2028.
Of this upcoming lecture Gormley was quoted as saying, “It’s important and timely to examine presidential power under the Constitution. It’s a lynchpin – unless that power is in alignment with the powers of co-equal branches, our constitutional system of government cannot function properly.”
The upcoming event is sponsored by the Steny H. Hoyer Center for the Study of Democracy at St. Mary’s College. It is free and open to the public, and tickets and registration are not required.
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