Harvard Constitutional Expert Noah Feldman to Speak on Democracy & the Rule of Law in Portland

Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law will host a free Public Forum, “Standing up for the Rule of Law: How do we save it?” on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Portland featuring keynote speaker Noah Feldman, a distinguished constitutional law professor at Harvard Law School and acclaimed as “one of the country’s most sought after authorities” on public policy and legal matters. Feldman currently serves as Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard where he specializes in constitutional law and design and the history of legal ideas.

Feldman’s keynote will address what is and is not the Rule of Law, how it is foundational to our constitutional democracy and system of due process and equal justice for all, what is a challenge to the Rule of Law, and what we lawyers and all Mainers can and must do to defend and strengthen it. He will include practical advice on what measures American citizens can take to save and protect the rule of law in our country.

“It is rare for Maine to host a scholar of Noah Feldman’s stature, someone who not only studies constitutional democracy but has helped shape the national conversation about its future,” said William Harwood, lawyer and Chair of Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law.

“At this defining moment when our democracy and the rule of law are in serious peril for the first time in our history, this forum offers Mainers the chance to unite to keep our republic and our sacred constitutional freedoms,” said David Webbert, a leading civil rights lawyer in Maine who will be the moderator of the Public Forum.

Following Feldman’s address, a panel discussion will feature Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, ACLU of Maine Legal Director Carol Garvan, and Maine State Bar Association President Susan Faunce. The panelists will react to Professor Feldman’s analysis and proposals and will contribute their own ideas for what all Mainers can do to preserve the rule of law in the United States.

After Professor Feldman’s Address and the remarks from the panel, members of the audience will have ample time to ask questions as part of a lively discussion.

The New York Times has described Feldman as the rare public intellectual who is adept at communicating with both popular and scholarly audiences. Feldman serves as a public affairs columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and writes for The New York Review of Books; he was a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine. He hosts the Deep Background podcast, an interview show that explores the historical, scientific, legal, and cultural context behind the biggest stories in the news Feldman has authored ten books, several of which earned favorable reviews in the NYT including for Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR’s Great Supreme Court Justices. For more information visit maineruleoflaw.org.

What: “Standing up for the Rule of Law: How do we save it?” Public Forum featuring Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman

When: Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Where: University of Southern Maine, Hannaford Hall, 88 Bedford Street, Portland Maine, 04101 (Free parking in the attached parking garage)

Cost: Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged.

The Rule of Law Public Forum is co-hosted by: ACLU of Maine, Cumberland Bar Association, League of Women Voters of Maine, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Council of Churches, Maine Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Maine Employment Lawyers Association, Maine Justice Foundation, and Maine State Bar Association.