April 23, 2024

Larus Comments on Presidents Suspending Constitutional Rights During Crises

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Elizabeth Larus, professor of political science and international affairs, contributed to an article entitled, “Can President Trump suspend constitutional rights of Americans due to the coronavirus crisis? Experts say unlikely,” on MEAWW.com.

“There has been talk of suspending the Constitution during times of crisis, such as President Abraham Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s extraordinary wartime powers, such as the internment of Americans of Japanese descent,” Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Department of Political Science, University of Mary Washington told MEA WorldWide (MEAWW).

“Americans have (sometimes grudgingly, sometimes willingly) acquiesced to enhanced executive power during times of national crisis, with the understanding that things ‘get back to normal’ once the crisis has passed. This, in fact, happened during WWII. However, that was when Americans had faith in our government. Americans no longer have that level of trust in the federal government,” she said. Read more.