The University of Pittsburgh School of Law will commemorate Constitution Day 2025 with a special lecture, Lessons Learned About the Rule of Law from the Trump Administration, featuring renowned legal scholar Brian Z. Tamanaha, John S. Lehmann University Professor at Washington University School of Law.
The event will take place on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Teplitz Memorial Moot Courtroom at the Barco Law Building.
In his lecture, Professor Tamanaha will examine the rule of law as a foundational principle of American constitutional democracy, emphasizing that the nation was built on laws rather than individuals and that the separation of powers among the three branches of government serves as a crucial system of checks and balances.
Tamanaha will explore the Trump Administration’s actions that raised concerns about adherence to the rule of law, situating them within a historical framework and considering their long-term implications. He will also highlight the vital role lawyers play in sustaining the rule of law in the United States.
A globally recognized scholar of jurisprudence and law-and-society, Tamanaha is the author of 10 books and more than 75 articles and chapters. His works, translated into 12 languages, have earned multiple international awards and been reviewed in leading outlets such as the Harvard Law Review and The Washington Post. His influential publications include Sociological Approaches to Theories of Law (Cambridge, 2022), Legal Pluralism Explained: History, Theory, Consequences (Oxford, 2021), and On the Rule of Law (Cambridge, 2004).
Named the #1 Most Influential Legal Educator by National Jurist, Tamanaha has twice been voted Professor of the Year by his students. His distinguished career includes service as a federal public defender, Assistant Attorney General in Micronesia, and legal counsel at the 1990 Micronesian Constitutional Convention.
The Constitution Day lecture is free and open to the public.