The Malyi Center invites you to the 2026 Malyi Lecture, featuring Vicki Jackson, Laurence H. Tribe Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard University.

In her lecture, “Knowledge Institutions and Constitutional Democracy,” Professor Jackson will argue that knowledge institutions should be recognized as essential components of constitutional democracy’s infrastructure. Institutions such as the press, universities, and civil service offices charged with collecting and reporting reliable information face serious threats worldwide. Rising authoritarian movements, along with technological and social changes—including social media and increasing skepticism about expertise—have made it more difficult to distinguish reliable from unreliable information.

The lecture will also consider how, in the United States, these pressures are intensified by simultaneous attacks on knowledge institutions, courts, and legal representation. Professor Jackson argues that protecting independent knowledge institutions, along with the legal professions and judiciary, is essential to preventing further erosion of the legal and informational foundations of constitutional democracy.

This event is open to the public. Lunch will be available after the lecture in the courtroom corridor. Just a friendly reminder, there are no food or drinks allowed in the courtroom.