Battle for the Constitution: Week of Feb. 17, 2020 Roundup

Below is a round-up of the latest from the “Battle for the Constitution:” a special project on the constitutional debates in American life, in partnership with The Atlantic.

A Coronavirus Quarantine in America Could Be a Giant Legal Mess

By Polly J. Price, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law and Professor of Global Health, Emory University School of Law

Polly J. Price discusses how the coronavirus illuminates the difficulty of implementing a cohesive and effective response to an epidemic given that our federalist-public health system divides power among 2,684 state, local, and tribal departments.

Our Founders Didn’t Intend for Pardons to Work Like This

By Jeffrey Crouch, Assistant Professor of American Politics, American University

Jeffrey Crouch gives background on the history and usage of the pardon power and says that just because a president can use it doesn’t mean they should.