About this episode

The episode discusses the constitutional balance of war powers between Congress and the President in light of recent military actions in Iran.

On February 28, President Trump announced “major combat operations in Iran.” The operation, known as Epic Fury, has renewed a long-standing debate about the scope of presidential war powers and who decides when the nation goes to war. Last week, Congress rejected legislation that sought to require President Trump to obtain congressional approval for military actions against Iran. The Constitution divides war powers between Congress, which has the authority to declare war, and the president, who serves as Commander in Chief. In this episode, Harold Hongju Koh of Yale Law School and Michael D. Ramsey of San Diego Law School explore the constitutional foundations of war powers, as well as the War Powers Resolution of 1973, and how they inform the constitutional authority debates about the use of military force today. Julie Silverbrook, Chief Content and Learning Officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources Article I, Section 8, Declare War Clause, NCC’s Interactive Constitution Article II, Section 2, Commander in Chief Clause, NCC’s Interactive Constitution War Powers Resolution, congress.gov Michael D. Ramsey, “The Constitution’s Check on Warmaking,” Law &…

People in this episode

Host: Julie Silverbrook

Guests: Harold Hongju Koh, Michael D. Ramsey

Topics covered

• war powers
• constitutional law
• Congress
• presidential authority
• military actions
• War Powers Resolution

Keywords

• war powers
• Congress
• President
• military force
• Constitution
• War Powers Resolution
• Iran
• combat operations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Yale Law School, San Diego Law School, National Constitution Center, Law & Liberty, University of Chicago Law Review, congress.gov

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