Legislation & Law of the Political Process

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Congress’s basic legitimacy is increasingly a topic of popular discussion. In recent years, commentators have proposed dramatic reforms, including abolition of the Senate and a transition to proportional representation. Underlying such proposals is the fundamental concern that Congress, as presently structured, is unresponsive to the will of the people and must be radically restructured. Legal academic discourse has been slow to consider such proposals seriously. The purpose of this panel is to jumpstart that discussion, addressing the foundational question of whether Congress lacks democratic legitimacy, and, if so, what sorts of remedies are called for.