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Philip Hamburger

Philip Hamburger

Chief Executive Officer


Philip Hamburger is a scholar of constitutional law and its history at Columbia Law School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Before coming to Columbia, he was the John P. Wilson Professor at the University of Chicago Law School. He also taught at George Washington University Law School, Northwestern Law School, University of Virginia Law School, and the University of Connecticut Law School. Professor Hamburger’s contributions are unrivaled by any U.S. legal scholar in driving the national conversations on the First Amendment and the separation of church and state and on administrative power. His work on administrative power has been celebrated by organizations like the Manhattan Institute and the Bradley Foundation, among others.

Courts Grant NJ Gov. Murphy Blank Check on “Emergencies”

By: Philip Hamburger July 25, 2021
In the News
The Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court just gave Gov. Phil Murphy a blank check to make law through executive orders anytime there are signs of an economic downturn approaching. In Kravitz v. Murphy, the court ruled New Jersey’s Disaster Control Act—a statute passed during World War II that authorizes the governor to…
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Court Packing Is a Dangerous Game

By: Philip Hamburger April 15, 2021
In the News
The intimidation game has begun. President Biden announced last Friday the formation of a commission on reforming the Supreme Court, and Democrats in the House and Senate responded on Wednesday by announcing that a bill to add four justices to the high court is forthcoming. These are dangerous developments. Even if court packing ultimately fails,…
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The Constitution Can Crack Section 230

By: Philip Hamburger January 29, 2021
In the News
Section numbers of federal statutes rarely stir the soul, but one of them, 230, stirs up much fear, for it has seemed to justify censorship. Relying on it, tech companies including Google and Twitter increasingly pull the plug on disfavored posts, websites and even people. Online moderation can be valuable, but this censorship is different. It harms…
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