Keith E. Whittington

@kewhittington.bsky.social

11K followers 130 following 360 posts

David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law School. Founding Chair, Academic Freedom Alliance; Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution. All opinions are mine alone.

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Keith E. Whittington is an American political scientist and legal scholar. He has been the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University since 2006. In July 2024, he joined the Yale Law School faculty. Whittington's research focuses on American constitutionalism, American political and constitutional history, judicial politics, the presidency, and free speech and the law. .. more

Political science 49%

Law 25%

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Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · 25d

Honored to be delivering the Barrett Lecture today at @ucdavislaw.bsky.social on whether the president has a constitutional power to refuse to spend congressional appropriations (a constitutionally based impoundment power)

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 7

“You got to win the midterms, because if we don’t win the midterms... I’ll get impeached.”

Get ready

www.amazon.com/Impeachment-...

The Impeachment Power: The Law, Politics, and Purpose of an Extraordinary Constitutional Tool

The Impeachment Power: The Law, Politics, and Purpose of an Extraordinary Constitutional Tool [Whittington, Keith E.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Impeachment Power: The Law, Politics, and Purpose of an Extraordinary Constitutional Tool

www.amazon.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 7

Give a gift to your friends in Texas

www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Tea...

You Can't Teach That!: The Battle over University Classrooms

Amazon.com: You Can't Teach That!: The Battle over University Classrooms: 9781509564538: Whittington, Keith E.: Books

www.amazon.com

Reposted by Brian Leiter

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 7

Texas schools just continually beclowning themselves to satisfy the politicians

Brian Leiter @brianleiter.bsky.social · Jan 7

leiterreports.com/2026/01/06/t...

Texas A&M University is no longer a real university

Martin Peterson, a very prominent philosopher at Texas A&M (an expert in decision theory and cognate topics), is slated to teach “Contemporary Moral Issues,” a standard undergraduat…

leiterreports.com

Reposted by Keith E. Whittington

Brian Leiter @brianleiter.bsky.social · Jan 7

leiterreports.com/2026/01/06/t...

Texas A&M University is no longer a real university

Martin Peterson, a very prominent philosopher at Texas A&M (an expert in decision theory and cognate topics), is slated to teach “Contemporary Moral Issues,” a standard undergraduat…

leiterreports.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 5

Some folks could benefit from actually taking a look at the Monroe Doctrine (and we should teach it in American Political Thought)

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

From @jacklgoldsmith.bsky.social
Subtitle about sums it up: Executive branch precedents can be garnered to support the action—which does not, of course, mean that it is lawful.
www.execfunctions.org/p/on-the-leg...

On the Legality of the Venezuela Invasion

Executive branch precedents can be garnered to support the action—which does not, of course, mean that it is lawful.

www.execfunctions.org

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Alas, my Charles Beard excerpt on the "myth of rugged individualism" has another year before it hits the public domain, so not yet included in the companion website
global.oup.com/us/companion...

global.oup.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Currently with a deep discount at Amazon
www.amazon.com/WHITTINGTON-...

WHITTINGTON:AMER POLITICAL THOUGHT LL

WHITTINGTON:AMER POLITICAL THOUGHT LL [Whittington] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. WHITTINGTON:AMER POLITICAL THOUGHT LL

www.amazon.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Explore American political discourse in all its richness, including the recurring argument over individualism and community (not so much "collectivism," this is *American* political thought after all)
global.oup.com/ushe/product...

global.oup.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Have we moved on from rugged individualism discourse, because I've got a plug

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Created a new excerpt this morning of the Barr 1989 OLC opinion on inherent presidential authority to apprehend fugitives abroad to add to the readings, for no reason whatsoever

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

And, yes, I'm using Gillman, Graber & Whittington and its supplementary materials, but this class will be organized topically rather than historically
www.amazon.com/American-Con...

American Constitutionalism: Volume I: Structures of Government

American Constitutionalism: Volume I: Structures of Government [Gillman, Howard, Graber, Mark A., Whittington, Keith E.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. American Constitutionalism: Volume I: Structures of Government

www.amazon.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Full reading list here for YLS Advanced Con Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers
(need to set up a new web home, but today will not be that day)
kewhitt.scholar.princeton.edu/sites/g/file...

kewhitt.scholar.princeton.edu

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Had to be done eventually. New syllabus for new class.

Advanced Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Jan 3

Is the congressional power to authorize war part of the “Constitution in exile”? Maybe so, but I’m going to teach it anyway

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Dec 15

Earlier episodes of the podcast can be found here
academicfreedom.podbean.com

The Academic Freedom Podcast | AcademicFreedom

The official podcast of the Academic Freedom Alliance, a nonpartisan and ideologically diverse coalition of faculty members committed to defending free speech in academia. We interview a diverse array...

academicfreedom.podbean.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Dec 15

Latest episode of the Academic Freedom Podcast featuring @genevievelakier.bsky.social discussing the Trump administration's Compact & approach to higher education reform

now available at www.podbean.com/ew/pb-qq7fw-...

On the Trump Administration's Higher Education Compact

Keith Whittington is joined by Genevieve Lakier, professor of law and Herbert and Marjorie Fried Teaching Scholar at the University of Chicago. They discuss the Trump Administration's approach to high...

www.podbean.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Dec 10

Minimal. Part of the revisionist case is that the rise of mass immigration restrictions were unanticipated by the 14th and radically changed the legal application/implication of the text

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Dec 9

Some reading given the Court’s docket

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Nov 10

Some context
www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...

Impeachment: Holding Rogue Judges Responsible | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

www.judiciary.senate.gov

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Nov 10

And of course a more elaborate discussion of the impeachment power here
www.amazon.com/Impeachment-...

The Impeachment Power: The Law, Politics, and Purpose of an Extraordinary Constitutional Tool

The Impeachment Power: The Law, Politics, and Purpose of an Extraordinary Constitutional Tool - Kindle edition by Whittington, Keith E.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Impeachment Power: The Law, Politics, and Purpose of an Extraordinary Constitutional Tool.

www.amazon.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Nov 10

Have a chapter on when one should impeach a judge in a volume to appear next year
www.amazon.com/Beyond-Check...

Beyond Checks and Balances: The Political Purpose of the Separation of Powers (Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism)

www.amazon.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Nov 10

Published back in March but perhaps of renewed interest

Judicial Impeachments Should Be a Last Resort thedispatch.com/article/trum...

Judicial Impeachments Should Be a Last Resort

Trump’s push to remove judges who rule against him undermines the rule of law.

thedispatch.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Nov 10

And here

www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Tea...

You Can't Teach That!: The Battle over University Classrooms

Amazon.com: You Can't Teach That!: The Battle over University Classrooms: 9781509564538: Whittington, Keith E.: Books

www.amazon.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Nov 10

As I discussed in a different context here

reason.com/volokh/2023/...

The Freedom to Assign Controversial Books

It is not every day that a government minister writes to an American university president demanding that a book be immediately removed "from the curriculum of any of its courses" and "conduct a thorou...

reason.com

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Nov 10

Proposed revision of Texas A&M system policy 08.01 poses significant risks to academic freedom, back to early 20th century fights over presidents vetoing course materials that offend political sensibilities

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Oct 23

70% off paperback until end of October

Speak Freely | Princeton University Press press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...

Speak Freely

Why colleges and universities live or die by free speech

press.princeton.edu

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Oct 21

This holds up

www.lawfaremedia.org/article/time...

Time to Amend the Presidential Pardon Power

President Trump is hardly alone in issuing dubious pardons and grants of clemency. It’s time to talk about a constitutional amendment to limit the pardon power.

www.lawfaremedia.org

Keith E. Whittington @kewhittington.bsky.social · Oct 17

Do you or your students want to think through the complexities of academic freedom and government speech at public universities? I have something for you

www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Tea...

You Can't Teach That!: The Battle over University Classrooms

Amazon.com: You Can't Teach That!: The Battle over University Classrooms: 9781509564538: Whittington, Keith E.: Books

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