FedSoc Events

Congress' passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 did not end the debate on campaign finance. Instead, it arguably created more legal questions than it did answers. -- The Act's passage quickly unleashed subsequent litigation, resulting in a number of Supreme Court decisions directly related to the BCRA and, more broadly, to general laws regulating campaign finance. These recent Supreme Court cases, including the much-discussed Citizens United decision, struck down many campaign regulations on the grounds that they infringe upon individuals' First Amendment rights. Some have charged that decisions like these have increased the influence of a privileged few in our political system. Others have argued that these decisions are not only doctrinally correct, but the prudential fears many have expressed have not been borne out. -- Still, Americans remain discontented with the current campaign finance regime. According to a New York Times/CBS News poll in 2015, 46% of respondents agree that the country needs to completely rebuild its campaign finance system, while 39% believed it requires fundamental change. Today, groups and individuals continue to fight limits on political contributions, and restrictions on political speech, while others push for stricter regulations. -- This panel will weigh in on whether decisions like Citizens United are correct as a matter of law, and if they are desirable from a policy perspective. The panel will also discuss the jurisprudential foundations of Citizens United—including the landmark case of Buckley v. Valeo—and where future fights over campaign finance regulations are likely to occur. -- This panel was presented at the 2017 National Student Symposium on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at Columbia Law School in New York City, New York. -- Featuring: Prof. Brad Smith, Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault Professor of Law, Capital University Law School; Former FEC Commissioner; Prof. Richard Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University School of Law; Prof. John O. McGinnis, George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law, Northwestern University School of Law; and Prof. Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice; Associate Professor of Law, Stetson University College of Law. Moderator: Hon. Richard J. Sullivan, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

The Internet has made information not only much more accessible, it has allowed almost anyone to be a provider of such information. -- This has not been without consequence: the refusal to take down an obscene video led to an eye-popping $140 million jury verdict and the subsequent collapse of Gawker Media. Personal e-mails or national secrets can quickly turn into political ammunition through the amplification of Wikileaks. A wide range of individuals, from Dan Rather to former President Barack Obama, have criticized the spread of misinformation. They claim false information is being dressed up as legitimate online journalism with the intent to deceive and misinform. Technology CEOs have felt the pressure. For example, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is devoting considerable resources to developing methods to regulate speech on his platform— probably the most significant in the world. But, as Zuckerberg himself said, “identifying 'the truth' is complicated." -- This panel will explore this new reality and whether it necessitates new regulation. Will any effort be imprecise, such that protected speech will necessarily be silenced? Does such regulation go against the principles enshrined in the First Amendment? -- This panel was presented at the 2017 National Student Symposium on Friday, March 3, 2017, at Columbia Law School in New York City, New York. -- Featuring: Prof. Richard Epstein, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law, New York University School of Law; Prof. Irina Manta, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University; Mr. Jameel Jaffer, Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; and Prof. Steve Coll, Dean & Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism, Columbia Journalism School; Staff Writer, The New Yorker. Moderator: Hon. Reena Raggi, Circuit Judge, US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Opening: Dean Gillian Lester, Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, Columbia Law School.

These remarks were given by the Honorable Michael R. Pence, Vice President of the United States on February 4, 2017, at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -- Vice President Pence was welcomed by Eugene B. Meyer, President of the Federalist Society. Prayer was led by Reverend Paul Rourke, SJ, Chaplain of the Georgetown University Law Center. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Vance Thomas Yanney II of the Shipley School, and the national anthem was sung by Leigh Emery, Co-founder of Broadway Lights the Night.

This panel, Combating Federal Overreach, was held on February 4, 2017, at the 2017 Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's BoardWalk Inn at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. -- Featuring: Amit Agarwal, Solicitor General, Florida; Andrew Brasher, Solicitor General, Alabama; Scott Keller, Solicitor General, Texas; and Elbert Lin, Solicitor General, West Virginia. Moderator: Hon. Allen Winsor, Florida 1st District Court of Appeals and Former Solicitor General, Florida. Introduction: Rachel Nordby, Deputy Solicitor General, Florida Office of the Attorney General.

This address by the Honorable Mike Lee (U.S. Senator, Utah) was given on February 4, 2017, at the 2017 Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's BoardWalk Inn at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Introduction by Jesse Panuccio, Acting Associate Attorney General / Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice.

This panel, Government Ethics & Corruption, was held on February 4, 2017, at the 2017 Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's BoardWalk Inn at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. -- Featuring: Nick Cox, Florida Statewide Prosecutor; Renee Flaherty, Institute for Justice; Todd Graves, Graves Garrett; and Prof. Matthew Stephenson, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School. Moderator: Judge Susan Rothstein-Youakim, Florida Second District Court of Appeal. Introduction: Jefferson Knight, Owner, The Knight Law Firm.

This panel, Florida and the Future of Trade Policy, was held on February 4, 2017, at the 2017 Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's BoardWalk Inn at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. -- Featuring: Alice Ancona, Director of Global Outreach for the Florida Chamber of Commerce; Stephen Ezell, Vice President, Global Innovation Policy, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; Dr. Thomas Palley, Senior Economic Policy Advisor, AFL-CIO; and Bryan Riley, Jay Van Andel Senior Policy Analyst, Trade Policy, The Heritage Foundation. Moderator: Judge Jonathan Gerber, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal. Introduction: Morgan W. Streetman, Founder and Principal, Streetman Law. Remarks: Daniel Woodring, Principal Attorney, Woodring Law Firm.

This address by the Honorable Marco Rubio (U.S. Senator, Florida) was given on February 3, 2017, at the 2017 Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's BoardWalk Inn at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Introduction by William W. Large, President, Florida Justice Reform Institute.

This panel, The Legacy of Justice Scalia, was held on February 3, 2017, at the 2017 Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's BoardWalk Inn at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. -- Featuring: Prof. John Baker, Professor Emeritus, LSU Law Center; Rachel Kovner, Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States; Prof. Michael Morley, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, Barry University; and Hon. Jeff Sutton, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Moderator: Hon. Ricky Polston, Justice, Florida Supreme Court. Introduction: Jordan E. Pratt, Deputy Solicitor General, Florida Office of the Attorney General.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Pauley. The case questions whether the exclusion of churches from an otherwise neutral and secular aid program violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of Free Exercise of Religion and the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Debaters will address this case along with the Blaine Amendment implications. -- This panel was part of the 2017 Annual Western Chapters Conference at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA on January 28, 2017. -- Debate—State Blaine Amendments -- David A. Cortman, Senior Counsel and Vice President of U.S. Litigation, Alliance Defending Freedom and Prof. Steven Green, Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette University College of Law. Moderator: Hon. Carlos Bea, U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit. Introduction: Lisa Ezell, Vice President & Director of Lawyers Chapters, The Federalist Society.