About the Center

Congress is the branch of government closest to the people—and the most embattled. At a moment when the rule of law faces mounting pressure from the courts, the executive, and political actors alike, Congress lacks the tools, the analysis, and the institutional support it needs to fight back.

The Center on Congress and Democracy fills that gap. We produce historically grounded legal scholarship, train lawmakers and their staffs, and convene experts across ideological lines—all in service of a Congress that can exercise its constitutional authority and hold the line for democratic governance.

We do this 0.2 miles from the Capitol. That proximity is not incidental. It shapes everything.

Leadership & Faculty

The Center is led by Professor Victoria F. Nourse(This link opens in a new tab), Ralph V. Whitworth Professor of Law and one of the nation’s foremost scholars on Congress and the rule of law. The Center’s academic advisory board draws on Georgetown’s exceptional depth of congressional expertise, including Professors Josh Chafetz(This link opens in a new tab), Janel George(This link opens in a new tab), Anita Krishnakumar(This link opens in a new tab), Dave Rapallo(This link opens in a new tab), and Kevin Tobia(This link opens in a new tab)—scholars whose scholarship and Hill experience span legislation, statutory interpretation, and constitutional law.

Past Events

The Center has convened leading voices from government, academia, and civil society on the most consequential questions facing Congress and American democracy. Our work includes both scholarship and academia, but also conversations with the press.

Some of our featured events include:

• Democracy and the Rule of Law Under Pressure(This link opens in a new tab), a one-day symposium that brought together leading scholars and policy practitioners concerned about the erosion of democracy and the rule of law after a year of decisive elections (2025)
• The Present and Future of the Equal Rights Amendment(This link opens in a new tab), a joint conference with Columbia Law’s ERA Project on ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, featuring Representatives Bush and Pressley and Senators Cardin, Gillibrand, Hirono, and Padilla (2024)
• Then-Vice President Biden on the Supreme Court nomination process (2016)
• A preview panel of substantive experts on tax, immigration, and climate change ahead of an incoming Congress
• A panel examining the nuclear option and the filibuster of judicial nominees
• A panel of campaign experts reviewing recent elections
• A Hill alumni event co-sponsored with the Georgetown Law alumni office