Samford University faculty have gathered twice this year to discuss President Donald Trump's second term and his administration's potential policy goals.
Theresa Davidson, a Sociology professor and program director for Samford University's Geography & Sociology department, sent notices for both sessions.
Only two panelists were invited to speak at both sessions. One was LaJuana Davis of Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. In February, Davis was among the signees of a "Statement of Law Professors and Law Teachers" entitled, “We Are in a Constitutional Crisis,” posted to the website for the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS). The statement says in part, "The law is not whatever Mr. Trump says it is. He is not king."
According to its website, "The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) is the nation’s foremost progressive legal organization, with a diverse nationwide network that includes nearly 200 student and lawyer chapters, and progressive lawyers, students, judges, scholars, elected officials, and advocates."
1819 News reached out to Davidson and Davis for comment and has not had a response.
The undersigned are professors and teachers of law, dedicated to the rule of law. We believe we are in a constitutional crisis.
The President has signed a number of executive orders that are beyond his constitutional or statutory authority. The President cannot change who is a citizen. He does not have unbridled legal authority to stop funds already allocated by Congress, nor can he unilaterally impose new, politically-motivated conditions on government benefits that violate the constitutional rights of the recipient individuals, companies, and institutions. He is not empowered to disband agencies and departments duly created, empowered, and funded by Congress. He is not allowed to give oversight and control over government operations to private individuals unconstrained by law.
The government and laws of the United States are not subject to presidential whim. On the contrary, the President is bound to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” And he is bound by oath to “faithfully execute” the office of the president and “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The undersigned have a variety of views on the underlying policies at issue. But we are united in our view that the President has acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally.
The illegality of these actions, even when the illegality has been adjudged in federal courts, does not seem to be deterring the President’s actions. Instead, the President and his administration are openly flirting with disobeying judicial rulings against him. In fact, the President has proclaimed, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”
We are saddened by the fact that we have to explain to the President this fundamental democratic principle, but we do: a president has the obligation to obey the Constitution as well as court orders enjoining his illegal and unconstitutional efforts. The law is not whatever Mr. Trump says it is. He is not king.
In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “Americans are free … to disagree with the law but not to disobey it. For in a government of laws and not of men, no man, however prominent or powerful, … is entitled to defy a court of law.”
We stand in support of democracy and the rule of law. We stand as allies to those individuals and institutions targeted by illegal and unconstitutional coercion. Our democracy can survive, but not without law.
Below is the text of the blast email sent to all faculty with the message from Davidson.
Invite sent Jan. 31, 2025:
"I hope you’ll join us for a teach-in about what we might expect in the coming years with the new presidential administration. Five of our colleagues will be speaking from their area of expertise on the policy proposals outlined in Project 2025 that may inform the Trump Administration."
Faculty discussants:
- David Bains, Biblical & Religious Studies
- LaJuana Davis, Cumberland School of Law
- Betsy Dobbins, Biology
- Fred Shepherd, Political Science
- Serena Simoni, Political Science
Thursday Feb. 6, 2025 4:00-5:30pm DBH 204
Invite sent April 1, 2025:
I hope you’ll join us for another faculty teach-in. Four of our colleagues will speak from their area of expertise about how we might understand the impact of, and respond to, the current Trump Administration’s actions and policies.
Faculty discussants:
- LaJuana Davis, Cumberland School of Law
- Mandy Hilsmier, School of Education
- Niya Pickett Miller, Communication Studies, A&S
- Fred Shepherd, Political Science, A&S
Thursday April 10, 2025 3:30-5:00 pm Propst Hall 103
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