Restoring the proper role of the Presidency.
We’re proposing a series of nonpartisan reforms to return the Presidency to its proper constitutional role.
Explainer Video
The Executive Branch needs reform.
Fifty years ago, after Watergate, we made fundamental changes to the institution of the presidency. Again in 2022, after January 6th, Congress introduced new reforms to protect elections. But there’s still much more to do to safeguard democracy. It’s time to finish the job and restore the proper role of the presidency.
Challenges & Reforms
Law Enforcement
Informal norms that govern the President's relationship with law enforcement have proven to be insufficient to prevent abuses.
Electoral Reform
Vulnerabilities written into the Electoral Count Act allowed bad actors to use it to subvert the peaceful transfer of power in 2020 - 21. We helped pass new legislation to fix it.
Executive Power
Legislative and Executive Branch reforms should focus on reining in an over-extended Executive Branch and adding greater legal specificity to certain Presidential powers.
Reforming the Electoral Count Act
A statement from Presidential Reform Project Co-Chairs Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith on recent Senate actions to clarify the vague language and ambiguities in the Electoral Count Act.
Who We Are
Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith are accomplished legal scholars with experience in Presidential administrations of both parties. They have come together to propose reforms geared toward reforming the Presidency and rebuilding some of the guardrails around Presidential power.
Jack Goldsmith
Harvard Law School
Bob Bauer
NYU School of Law
News & Updates
Politico: Hurricane Trump Is Coming — And Washington Hasn’t Bothered to Prepare
May 19, 2023
Media Mention
Lawfare: The Failure of Presidential Reform for a Second Trump Presidency
May 15, 2023
Jack Goldsmith
Project Syndicate: Putin and Trump in the Dock?
March 31, 2023
Jack Goldsmith
The Atlantic: Accountability Arrives for Donald Trump
March 30, 2023
Media Mention
The Nation: Reagan, Trump, and the Price of Presidential Impunity
March 20, 2023
Media Mention