Today it is my honor to give the keynote address of the Women’s Lecture Luncheon Series at Brazosport College in Texas. It is a particular pleasure to speak at Brazosport because I have previously had events at this wonderful campus located in Lake Jackson Texas. Indeed, I have watched the college grow on its pristine 156 acres in to a broad based educational institution. My address will be at 11:00 AM and is entitled “Separation Anxiety: The Rise of Presidential Power and the ‘Fourth Branch’ in the Madisonian System.”

Brazosport College was founded in 1968 and its growth in this area is truly remarkable in that time. It offers four-year degrees in areas like Industrial Management and Health Services Management as well as an array of two-year degrees. It has been selected as one of the most affordable colleges and one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. I have a particular affinity for new universities and schools, particularly those striving to expand affordable college opportunities for students while preserving core values like free speech.

My address will focus on the growing imbalance in our tripartite constitutional system with the rise of executive power and the emergence of a type of “Fourth Branch” of government in our federal agencies. The loss of legislative authority is not only attributed to the expansion of presidential powers but also the rise of a fourth branch of federal agencies. Congress is becoming increasingly marginalized in our constitutional system. A fundamental change is occurring in our system with relatively little deliberation by Congress, which has lost the most from the emergence of a fourth branch.

It is a pleasure to return to Brazosport and participate in the Women’s Lecture Luncheon Series. The series is a unique educational program where speakers are brought from around the world to discuss legal, social, and political controversies.