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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.

The ‘Tell’ in Zuckerberg’s Letter to Congress

By: Philip Hamburger August 27, 2024
Mark Zuckerberg sent a mea culpa letter Monday to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, admitting that Meta, which owns Facebook, erred in acquiescing to government pressure for censorship. But it’s important to look closely at what the letter says and what it doesn’t. On the one hand, Mr. Zuckerberg concedes what by now is obvious—that there was much…
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In ‘Over Ruled,’ Justice Gorsuch Tells of the Folly of the Administrative State

By: Philip Hamburger July 30, 2024
Books by Supreme Court justices usually focus on constitutional doctrine—on judicial interpretations of the Constitution. “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law” is, therefore, a pleasant surprise. Justice Neil Gorsuch and his former clerk Janie Nitze prioritize not legal analysis, but a series of stories about unfortunate litigants, whose experiences illuminate the dangers…
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No Remedy for Censorship: The Perils of Murthy

By: Philip Hamburger July 2, 2024
Last week, in Murthy v. Missouri, the Supreme Court hammered home the distressing conclusion that, under the court’s doctrines, the First Amendment is, for all practical purposes, unenforceable against largescale government censorship. The decision is a strong contender to be the worst speech decision in the court’s history. (I must confess a personal interest in all…
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