UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky announced the Edley Center on Law and Democracy on Aug. 27 at a memorial service honoring former Dean Christopher Edley, who died in May.
The new research center aims to address the current political climate in America and train students to guard American democracy, according to a Berkeley Law press release.
Edley, who served as dean from 2004 to 2013, was a figure in administrative law, education policy and civil rights.
“Chris Edley was a transformative Dean at Berkeley. He dramatically expanded the law school’s faculty, its public-interest clinical program, and its national profile,” said Dan Farber, Sho Sato professor of law, in an email. “But most importantly, he prioritized the law school’s mission of public service with new research centers on issues like environmental law and reproductive rights.”
Professors and constitutional law experts Farber and Jonathan Gould will serve as faculty co-directors and help lead the search for an executive director, according to the press release.
To kick off the center’s opening, there will be a five-part speaker event addressing American democracy this semester.
“The presidential election has amplified worries about the future of democracy,” Farber said in an email. “The speaker series explores some of the most pressing issues facing our democratic system, from election integrity and the spread of misinformation to politicization of the courts and abuse of presidential power.”
Edley was a major player in the public policy sphere, having served in former President Bill Clinton’s White House and as a mentor and adviser to former President Barack Obama, Farber said.
Edley concluded his career as the interim dean of the School of Education.
Jeffrey Selbin, Chancellor’s Clinical Professor of Law, said Edley always believed that democracy was the best avenue to reform and justice.
“Regardless of what happens in November, the center could not be more timely with the rise of anti-democratic forces that are revealing the fragility of our institutions,” Selbin said in an email.
A September 2023 poll from the Pew Research Center, referenced in the press release, said that only 4% believe the American political system “works very well,” while 23% say it is working “somewhat well.” Farber said that students and colleagues are concerned about the presidential election as a threat to democracy.
The center aims to involve students across every part of the center’s work, including working with law school clinics.
“We want the Center to be an active participant in the defense of democracy as well as a source of research and new ideas,” Farber said in an email. “Almost everyone we talk to, we’re deeply worried about the state of American democracy.”
