FedSoc Events

The Constitution was carefully designed to balance powers between three federal branches and the states, but over the years disparities between both the federal and the state governments and the executive and legislative branches have become increasingly pronounced.
Does the balance of powers still function as intended by the Founders? John Kyl examines the gradual deterioration of the constitutional structure and consequences of this growing imbalance for issues such as international affairs, judicial nominations, and congressional leadership.
Watch the video on YouTube

Hon. Jon Kyl, Former U.S. Senator, Arizona
Moderator: Prof. Susan Dudley, Director, George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center
Introduction: Mr. Nathan Kaczmarek, Director, Article I Initiative, The Federalist Society

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

Since the passage of the The 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act, Congress has successfully managed to follow the twelve-step budget process only four times.
Why does Congress continue the pretense of following a system that doesn't work? Is there any way to reform the budget process to account for deficits, debt, overspending, and the bigger picture? James Lankford explores potential budgetary reforms that will help the legislative branch to regain the power of the purse.
Watch the video on YouTube

Hon. James Lankford, U.S. Senator, Oklahoma

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

Even though the Founders conceived Congress as the most powerful of the three branches of government, today the legislative branch is widely regarded as weak, indolent, and even irrelevant.
With the imbalance of power and accountability that has been created by this political vacuum, Congress has lapsed into problematic behavior that is both expensive and harmful to the notion of representative government.
What can Congress do to mend its ways and restore the balance of power? David McIntosh, Tom Davis, and Barry Loudermilk discuss the problems that most plague the legislative branch, including issues such as earmarks, appropriations, continuing resolutions, filibusters, judicial appointments, and political polarization.
Watch the video on YouTube

Hon. Ron DeSantis, U.S. House of Representatives, Florida's 6th District
Hon. Barry Loudermilk, U.S. House of Representatives, Georgia's 11th District
Hon. Tom Davis, Former Congressman, Virginia's 11th District
Moderator: Hon. David McIntosh, President, Club for Growth
Introduction: Mr. Nathan Kaczmarek, Director, Article I Initiative, The Federalist Society

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 Georgetown Student Chapter hosted this conversation with Justice Thomas during the 2018 National Student Symposium Banquet on March 10, 2018.

Hon. Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Prof. Jennifer Mascott, Assistant Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Supreme Court and Administrative Law Clinics, Antonin Scalia Law School

The Fourteenth Amendment dramatically changed constitutional law. How are we to understand these changes? Did the Fourteenth Amendment change our Federalism and, if so, how much?

Prof. John C. Harrison, James Madison Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
Prof. Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
Elizabeth B. Wydra, President, Constitutional Accountability Center
Prof. Kurt T. Lash, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Chair in Law, University of Richmond School of Law
Moderator: Judge Diane S. Sykes, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit

What role for the executive was envisioned by the Framers and Founding generation? How did the Founding generation understand the Executive’s role? How did the likely first President, George Washington shape their views? Has the role of the Executive changed?

Prof. Martin S. Flaherty, Leitner Family Professor, Co-Director, Leitner Center for International Law and Justice, Fordham University School of Law
Prof. John C. Yoo, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law and Co-Faculty Director, Korea Law Center, University of California, Berkeley Law School
Prof. Saikrishna Prakash, James Monroe Distinguished Professor of Law and Paul G. Mahoney Research Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
Prof. Michael W. McConnell, Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center, Stanford Law School
Moderator: Judge Amul Thapar, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

In 1776, the Continental Congress declared the birth of a new nation. Six of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence went on to craft and sign the Constitution in 1787. What role does the Declaration of Independence play in constitutional interpretation? Should it be considered foundational to the Constitution’s purpose and structure or is it just one source among many?

Prof. Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown Law
Prof. Michael P. Zuckert, Nancy Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science, The University of Notre Dame
Prof. John Mikhail, Agnes N. Williams Research Professor; Associate Dean, Research and Academic Programs, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
Prof. Lee J. Strang, John W. Stoepler Professor of Law & Values, The University of Toledo College of Law
Moderator: Judge Thomas Hardiman, United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered this address at the 2018 National Student Symposium at Georgetown Law on March 10, 2018.

Hon. Jeff Sessions, Attorney General of the United States
Introduction by: Prof. Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown Law
Welcome: Ethan Womble, President, Georgetown Student Chapter

Hamilton referred to the federal judiciary as the “least dangerous” branch of the new federal government. But the Court has clearly done more than he envisioned. What is its proper role? How much should judges interpret the exact text and how much should they look to the core principles the text seeks to protect?

Welcome: Ethan Womble, President, Georgetown Student Chapter
Opening Remarks: Dean Mitchell C. Bailin, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Georgetown Law


Justice Clint Bolick, Arizona Supreme Court
Ed Whelan, President, Ethics & Public Policy Center, former Law Clerk to Justice Scalia, and Co-Editor, Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith and Life Well Lived
Moderator: Judge Kevin C. Newsom, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Introduction: Darina Merriam, Vice President and Symposium Chair, Georgetown Student Chapter

Article V of the Constitution provides a process for amending the Constitution. However, this process has only produced a handful of Amendments. Many Amendments have been proposed throughout the nation’s history. What’s next? Looking to first principles, did the Founders leave anything out that is necessary today? What possible Amendments might be desirable and practical?

Prof. Jamal Greene, Dwight Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
Prof. Laura Donohue, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
Prof. Michael S. Greve, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Prof. John O. McGinnis, George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Prof. Robin Fretwell Wilson, Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law, Illinois College of Law
Moderator: Judge Amy Coney Barrett, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit