Senate calls on local academics

As the nation turns to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings today for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, members of the UNC community have their own role in the national spotlight.

The Democratic Party invited UNC law professor Michael Gerhardt and Duke University law professor Erwin Chemerinsky, a finalist to become the next dean of UNC's School of Law, to testify at today's hearings.

Each will have five minutes to offer his respective legal interpretations of the proceedings.

"It's a subject I've spent a lot of time studying and have expertise on," Gerhardt said.

He has authored several books, including "The Federal Appointments Process," and written more than 50 law review articles about constitutional law, the legislative process and federal jurisdiction.

He said that today he plans to provide an analysis of what is at stake at these hearings, how they fit into a broader historical context and possible challenges that could arise.

"I just tried to read up on opinions and tried to get a sense of what's happening with the hearings right now," he said.

Gerhardt is no stranger to the national judicial scene, having been to Capitol Hill more than once to lend his expertise to lawmakers. He was called to Washington, D.C., in 1998 to provide Congress with historical insight during President Clinton's impeachment proceedings.

"I think that's part of our commitment as a wonderful public university and law school - to try to be available to share the knowledge we have," said Faculty Chairwoman Judith Wegner, a law professor.

Chemerinsky said that during his remarks he plans to focus on concerns that Alito would not vote to keep executive powers in check.

Although Chemerinsky's name is in the running for the next law school dean, many UNC students and faculty members doubt that his role will have a lasting impact on the University's reputation during the Senate hearings.

"Duke is attached after his name," said Kate Bell, a second-year law student at UNC.

Whether or not they get overwhelming recognition from the UNC community, Chemerinsky said he is confident that he and Gerhardt are providing a noteworthy service to the public.

Alito is vying to replace Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been a decisive swing vote in many key areas such as abortion rights, affirmative action and separation of church and state.

"This is the seat that has the possibility of changing the law in all those areas," Chemerinsky said.

While UNC's students and faculty said they agree that the professors' participation will reflect positively on the University, some say they have become jaded by professors continuously engaging in national politics.

"Hearing that they're doing that stuff doesn't really make that much of an impact anymore," said Aaron Wellman, a third-year law student who took Gerhardt's bioethics class last semester. "You kind of get used to it."

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.