Law Professors Solicit Signatures for Anti-resignation Letter Bernard J. Hibbitts Special to JURIST Pittsburgh, December 19 - In the expectation that there will be a major push for the President's resignation in the wake of today's impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, two leading constitutional scholars are soliciting signatures for a open letter to the President arguing that the he should not resign. Anticipating events, Professor Susan Low Bloch of Georgetown University Law Center and Professor Cass Sunstein of University of Chicago Law School began circulating their letter among academics across the country late this week. The authors of the letter argue that "a presidential resignation could do serious and lasting damage to the nation and to the system of separation of powers." Law professors and history professors wishing to sign-on to the letter should contact Professor Bloch by e-mail at BLOCH@wpgate.law3.georgetown.edu. Full text of letter December 19, 1998 The undersigned teachers of history and constitutional law believe that President Clinton should not resign in response to the recent, extraordinarily partisan impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. A presidential resignation could do serious and lasting damage to the nation and to the system of separation of powers. The impeachment tool was meant to be invoked when there is a bipartisan consensus that the President has grossly abused the public trust. A resignation in the current circumstances could fundamentally transform the impeachment device into a political tool for use by the President's political opponents, whoever they may be. From the standpoint of history and constitutional law, a resignation would be a grave mistake for the country, a threat to domestic and international stability, and a dangerous step for the future. Susan Low Bloch, Georgetown University Law School Cass Sunstein, University of Chicago Law School Note: Institutional affiliations for purposes of identification only. Bernard J. Hibbitts is the Director of JURIST: The Law Professors' Network. He is also Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Communications & Information Technology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. ———————————————————————————————— Return to JURIST: The Law Professors' Network ———————————————————————————————— JURIST: The Law Professors' Network™ is directed by Professor Bernard J. Hibbitts, Associate Dean for Communications & Information Technology, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in consultation with an international Advisory Board. E-mail JURIST at JURIST@law.pitt.edu. © Bernard J. Hibbitts, 1998. All rights reserved. These pages may not be copied, reposted, or republished, in whole or in part, electronically or in print, without express written permission. NOTICE JURIST regrets that it cannot provide legal advice. For assistance with specific legal problems, please consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.