Professors available to comment on start of impeachment trial

House impeachment managers have requested former President Trump testify at his second impeachment trial. Although unlikely he’ll testify, the trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Feb. 9. Last week, a majority of Senate Republicans signaled that they’re unlikely to convict Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol.

Northwestern University professors from political science and the Pritzker School of Law are available to comment on how the trial might proceed and impact a President who is no longer in office. 

Find additional Politics 2021 experts on Northwestern’s For Journalists site. 

Constitutional law:

Ronald Allen is the John Henry Wigmore Professor of Law and a constitutional and criminal law expert. He can be reached at rjallen@law.northwestern.edu.

Juliet Sorensen is a clinical professor of law and executive director of Injustice Watch. From 2003-2010, Sorensen was an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, focusing on fraud and public corruption. She can be reached at j-sorensen@law.northwestern.edu.

Political Science:

Alvin Tillery is an associate professor of political science and director of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy at Northwestern. His research and teaching interests are in the fields of American politics and political theory. His research in American politics focuses on American political development, racial and ethnic politics and media and politics. He can be reached at alvin.tillery@northwestern.edu. 

Quote from Professor Tillery
“This impeachment trial not only offers the chance for Republicans to unify the country by punishing Mr. Trump for crimes that we all saw and heard him commit during this electoral cycle, but it also gives them the chance to take the first step toward remaking their image and becoming more competitive in national elections.”