What Is a Constitutional Crisis?
with Prof. Kimberly Wehle, J.D., University of Baltimore
moderated by Prof. Dr. Kirk Junker, University of Cologne
Thursday, May 22, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | University of Cologne | Main Building | Hörsaal XII | Albertus-Magnus-Platz | 50923 Cologne
The return of Donald Trump to the White House has reignited debates over the balance of power among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and raised pressing questions about the strength and resilience of American democratic institutions in a time of political transformation. As the current administration moves swiftly to implement its agenda, reshape the federal bureaucracy, and challenge long-standing interpretations of executive authority, legal scholars and observers are grappling with urgent questions: Where are the boundaries of presidential power? What role must the other branches play in maintaining constitutional equilibrium? When do institutional tensions signal a true constitutional crisis—and what exactly defines such a crisis in a system built to endure conflict and disagreement? These are no longer theoretical concerns—they are the defining constitutional challenges of 2025. This event will explore what it means to face a constitutional crisis today, unpacking the shifting dynamics between the branches of government, the evolving role of the courts, and the broader implications for civil liberties and the future of American democracy.
Join us for a vital conversation about the U.S. Constitution with:
Prof. Kimberly Wehle, J.D. is an expert in constitutional law and the separation of powers, with particular emphasis on presidential power and administrative agencies. She is a tenured law professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she teaches Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Administrative law, and Federal Courts. She is currently a Fulbright Scholar in the Netherlands where she is also the inaugural Resident Thinker at The John Adams Institute. Further, Wehle is also a legal contributor for ABC News and regularly writes for Politico, The Atlantic, and The Bulwark. Winner of the University of Maryland System Board of Regents Award for excellence in scholarship. Wehle also writes and comments on the Supreme Court, election law and voting rights. She was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Washington D.C. office and Associate Independent Counsel in the Whitewater Investigation. She is the author of several books, including How to Read The Constitution—and Why, and How to Think Like a Lawyer—and Why and Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works—and Why.
Prof. Dr. Kirk Junker a native of Pittsburgh, studied law in both Germany and the United States, receiving his law degree from Duquesne University. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and was a public environmental law prosecutor for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources for ten years before obtaining his PhD in ancient rhetoric. Professor Dr. Junker is author or co-author of 9 books, including the Introduction to US Legal Culture, available in English, German and Italian, 49 book chapters, and 56 articles on environmental law, comparative and international law and ethics. He is a frequent guest on German, Swiss and Luxembourg media. Professor Junker has held professorships on faculties of law in the United States and Germany, in communication in Dublin (Ireland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland), and in natural science in the UK. For the last 15 years, Prof. Junker has held the Chair in US Law at the University of Cologne. He is currently also the Vice Rector for Sustainability at the University of Cologne.
Tickets are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, We kindly ask you to only reserve the number of tickets that you will definitely use.
This event is kindly supported by the Federal Foreign Office.
This event is a cooperation between the Cologne International Forum, the Faculty of Law, Chair of US Law at the University of Cologne, the German-American Lawyers’ Association (DAJV) and AmerikaHaus NRW e.V.
