Who We Are
The Center for Constitutional Responsibility is dedicated to preserving the separation of powers and the accountability of the political branches at all levels of government in the United States. In particular, the Center is concerned with the increasingly common delegation to unaccountable private parties of the executive’s exclusive power to enforce public law to politically unaccountable private parties. This delegation – which deputizes the plaintiffs’ bar and private citizens to act as roving, unaccountable “private attorneys general” – is a threat to democratic accountability and the cohesiveness of our union. Laws, especially on contentious topics, should be enforced by government officials that answer to the Constitution and the people. The Center aims to prevent the unwise and unconstitutional delegation of sovereign enforcement authority.
In the Courts
ACHESON HOTELS, LLC V. LAUFER - TESTER PLAINTIFFS
December 8, 2022
On December 8, 2022, the Center for Constitutional Responsibility filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the Court to hear a case that considers whether the power to enforce public rights is vested exclusively in the Executive Branch. In Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer, the Court is asked to consider whether so-called Americans with Disabilities Act tester plaintiffs, like Laufer, have standing to sue allegedly noncompliant businesses simply to enforce the law, not redress personal injuries.
In the News
California Gun Measures Let Citizens Sue to Enforce Regulations
Zusha Elinson and Christine Mai-Duc
Wall Street Journal reports on California gun law that lets private citizens sue to……
California’s Private Labor Enforcers
Caitlyn Jenner and Tom Manzo
Jenner and Manzo explain in the Wall Street Journal why California’s Private Attorneys General Act that incentivizes private citizens to enforce labor laws……
Using civil suits to enforce laws is an uncivil solution
Susana Martinez
While experts continue to pour over the data of the 2022 midterm elections, one truth cannot be avoided……
Leadership
Karen R. Harned
Executive Director
Ms. Harned has over 33 years of legal, regulatory, legislative, and communications experience defending the freedoms afforded to all Americans by the...
Board of Directors
Adam White
President
Adam White is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on American constitutionalism, the Supreme Court, and the...
Peter J. Wallison
Treasurer
Peter J. Wallison is a senior fellow emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies constitutional law and the growth of...
James R. Copland
Secretary
James R. Copland is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of Legal Policy. In those roles, he develops and communicates novel...