FedSoc Events

On October 16-17, 1987, the Federalist Society hosted a symposium in celebration of the bicentennial of the Constitution at the George Mason University School of Law. The symposium was titled "Constitutional Protections of Economic Activity: How They Promote Individual Freedom." The final panel of the symposium discussed "The Public and Private Realms: The Privatization Movement and Other Developments."
Featuring:

Prof. Kenneth S. Abraham, University of Virginia Law School
Prof. Robert C. Ellickson, Stanford Law School
Prof. George L. Priest, Yale Law School
Moderator: Prof. Leonard P. Liggio, Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speakers.

Created by the Supreme Court in 1967, the legal doctrine of qualified immunity shields government officials from being sued even if they violate someone’s constitutional rights, as long as they are not violating what the Court calls "clearly established law."
Proponents of qualified immunity argue that it is necessary for police officers to perform their job without the fear of being sued. Critics say that qualified immunity offers too much protection for the police and lessens their accountability.
The Federalist Society's El Paso Lawyers Chapter hosted a Zoom debate on the issue on September 1st, 2020 covering points ranging from the merits of the doctrine as it is applied today to which branch of government—the Judiciary or Congress—should change it, if at all.
Featuring:

Judd Stone, Assistant Solicitor General, Texas
Clark Neily, Vice President for Criminal Justice, CATO Institute
Moderator: Anthony Rodregous, President, El Paso Lawyers Chapter

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.

What should the nature of religious liberty look like in a pluralistic society? The Supreme Court has taken a renewed interest in adjudicating religious liberty cases. Recent terms have attempted to resolve issues as varied as the Bladensburg Peace Cross, the scope of the ministerial exemption, and the application of public health emergency orders to religious services. Next term, the court has been asked to reconsider its decision in Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990). Does Smith need refinement?
This event hosted by the Chicago Lawyers Chapter on August 20, 2020 surveyed the recent decisions and discussed the best ways forward to protect religious liberty amidst a bevy of conflicting interests in our diverse society.
Featuring:

Prof. Stephanie H. Barclay, Associate Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School
Prof. Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Associate Professor of Religion & Public Life, University of Notre Dame
Moderator: Prof. Daniel O. Conkle, Robert H. McKinney Professor of Law Emeritus and Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies, Maurer School of Law, Indiana University Bloomington
Introduction: Richard Benson, Chicago Lawyers Chapter
Introduction: Eric Wessen, Chicago Lawyers Chapter

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.

On October 16-17, 1987, the Federalist Society hosted a symposium in celebration of the bicentennial of the Constitution at the George Mason University School of Law. The symposium was titled "Constitutional Protections of Economic Activity: How They Promote Individual Freedom." The fourth panel covered "Federal Spending and the Deficit: Is a Constitutional Remedy Necessary?"
Featuring:

Prof. Kate Stith-Cabranes, Yale Law School
Prof. William Craig Stubblebine, Claremont McKenna College
Prof. Lawrence Summers, Harvard University
Moderator: Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speakers.

The Federalist Society's Jacksonville Lawyers Chapter held a virtual panel on August 12, 2020 to discuss some of the major questions surrounding interpretive approaches. The esteemed panelists each provided their insight on hot topics in interpretation, including originalism, textualism, severability, and stare decisis.
Featuring:

Hon. Amy Barrett, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Hon. Wendy Berger, United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
Hon. Paige Gillman, Florida Circuit Court, Fifteenth Circuit
Moderator: Joe Jacquot, General Counsel to Governor Ron DeSantis
Introduction: Patrick Kilbane, President, The Federalist Society Jacksonville Lawyers Chapter

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speakers.

On August 18, 2020, the Federalist Society's Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter hosted a virtual event on "Recent Trends in the Roberts Court." Don Daugherty, Senior Counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, reviewed trends that have emerged in cases decided by the Court over the last four terms, including the ascendance of originalism/textualism and the Chief Justice's minimalistic approach.
Featuring:

Don Daugherty, Senior Counsel, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
Moderator: Matthew Fernholz, President, Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speakers.

On August 17, 2020, The Federalist Society's Chicago Lawyers Chapter hosted a virtual panel on "The Doctrine of Qualified Immunity." The panel explored the doctrine of qualified immunity that shields government officials from being held personally liable for constitutional violations and its future. Should the Supreme Court declare it unlawful? Should Congress amend it? How will law enforcement react if qualified immunity is changed?
Featuring:

Prof. Christopher J. Walker, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; Director, Moritz Washington, D.C. Summer Program
Prof. Joanna Schwartz, Vice Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
Jay Schweikert, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute
Moderator: Hon. John F. Kness, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speakers.

On October 16-17, 1987, the Federalist Society hosted a symposium in celebration of the bicentennial of the Constitution at the George Mason University School of Law. The symposium was titled "Constitutional Protections of Economic Activity: How They Promote Individual Freedom." The first panel discussed "Methods of Interpreting the Economic Rights Provisions of the Constitution."
Featuring:

Prof. Gary Lawson, Yale Law School
Mr. Roger Pilon, Department of Justice
Prof. Mario J. Rizzo, New York University
Prof. Mark G. Kelman, Stanford Law School
Moderator: Dean Henry G. Manne, George Mason University School of Law

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speakers.

A discussion about freedom of speech, freedom of thought, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the cancel culture with Professors Robert George of Princeton and Cornel West of Harvard:
In the aftermath of George Floyd's killing, the country is re-examining fundamental aspects both of our society and how we talk about changing it. In order to undertake that examination in a spirit of honesty and free inquiry, one view holds that participants need to feel free from the danger, and sometimes, as we have seen, the reality, of punishment or intimidation for taking an unpopular point of view. Those holding this view are concerned that we seem to be entering an era of enforced conformity to a new norm—that America is systemically racist, and that a failure to accept and acknowledge this fact is disqualifying from having a place in academia, in public life, or even in the private sector. They are concerned that the radical changes being called for ignore the pillars of the successful American experiment that ultimately led from slavery to the outlawing of racial segregation, and that these changes will do grave harm both to American society as a whole and to the radical changes’ intended beneficiaries.
On the other hand, some believe that our society is so inherently degraded by racism that a fundamental change is justified from the old ways of how we have felt we can think and speak about these issues. The thought is that the traditional notions of free speech and free thought are themselves devices that support oppression, and inevitably are employed to prop up established practices and ways of thinking that have created, and perpetuate, racial inequity. This view holds that those who have been harmed by racism are only further harmed by a so-called “balanced” discussion of their grievances.
Professors George and West will address whether both society, and the ways in which we can discuss its virtues and its deficiencies, are in need of fundamental change.
Featuring:

Prof. Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University
Prof. Cornel West, Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy, Harvard University
Moderator: Mr. Eugene Meyer, President & CEO, The Federalist Society

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.

On August 10, 2020, the Federalist Society's Washington, D.C. Lawyers Chapter will present its annual Supreme Court Round Up discussing the the Supreme Court's 2019-2020 Term.
Featuring:

Mr. Miguel Estrada, Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Introduction: Mr. Reginald Brown, Partner, WilmerHale
Opening Remarks: Dean Reuter, General Counsel | Vice President & Director, Practice Groups, The Federalist Society

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.