FedSoc Events

James Madison wrote that our system of federalism provides “a double security…to the rights of the people.” In other words, the 50 states serve as shields for individual rights that the federal government fails to protect. States can harness these tools to protect important rights. The intro will set the stage for the day’s theme, building on the Founders’ concept of federalism, tying it to Reagan’s ascendancy and the framework of the Reagan Revolution, and touching on the concepts of states’ powers. -- This address was part of the 2016 Annual Western Chapters Conference at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA on January 30, 2016. -- Featuring: Hon. Scott Pruitt, Attorney General, Oklahoma.
Introduction: Mr. Eugene B. Meyer, President, The Federalist Society.

Mark Behrens, co-chair of the Washington, DC-based Public Policy Group of Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., will discuss Nevada’s poor ranking in a recent U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform survey of the fairness of state legal climates. He will also discuss the comments on Nevada courts included in the American Tort Reform Foundation’s annual Judicial Hellholes report, along with a recent point of light from the Nevada Supreme Court. Mr. Behrens will discuss Nevada’s efforts for judicial reform together with strategies Nevada lawyers may use to promote a fair and restrained judiciary. -- Assemblyman Erv Nelson is a partner at the Las Vegas firm of Cram Valdez Brigman & Nelson and Vice-Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Nevada State Assembly. In his role as a legislator, he was deeply involved in efforts to enact Judicial Reform legislation in Nevada. Mr. Nelson will discuss Nevada’s efforts to affect Judicial Reform, including legislation that may be proposed in the future. -- The Las Vegas Lawyers Chapter hosted this event on January 28, 2016. --
Speakers: Mr. Mark Behrens, Co-chair, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP and Hon. Erven T. Nelson, Nevada Assemblyman. Introduction: Mr. Matthew Saltzman, Shareholder, Kolesar & Leatham.

This panel will discuss whether we have Federal overreach in this environmental law area, such as current interpretations of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Power Plan, etc., and what the appropriate roles for the Federal Government and Florida are in the context of environmental law. -- This panel was part of the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's Boardwalk Inn in Lake Buena Vista, FL on January 22-23, 2016. -- Featuring: Mr. Avi Garbow, General Counsel, United States Environmental Protection Agency; Mr. Matthew Z. Leopold, Of Counsel, Carlton Fields Jorden Burt PA and former General Counsel, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Prof. Erin Ryan, Professor, Florida State University College of Law; and Mr. Patrick Strawbridge, Partner, Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC. Moderator: Hon. Edward L. Artau, Florida 15th Judicial Circuit. Introduction: Mr. Gregory Munson, Shareholder, Gunster.

This panel was part of the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's Boardwalk Inn in Lake Buena Vista, FL on January 22-23, 2016. -- Featuring: Mr. Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce. Interviewer: Mr. Jesse Panuccio, Former Executive Director, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Tim Cerio, General Counsel to Governor Rick Scott of Florida, delivered this address at the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference on Saturday, January 23, 2016, at Disney's Boardwalk Inn in Lake Buena Vista, FL. He was introduced by Judge Ed Scales of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal.

This panel will move beyond the Obamacare discussion and address what the current problems in health care and whether there are proven and scalable solutions to these problems. The panel will also discuss what the legal barriers to those solutions are and what the appropriate Federal/Florida role in Healthcare is. -- This panel was part of the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's Boardwalk Inn in Lake Buena Vista, FL on January 22-23, 2016. -- Featuring: Mr. John Goodman, Senior Fellow, Independent Institute; Mr. Avik Roy, Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute; and Dr. Antonia C. Novello, MD, MPH, Dr.PH, VADM (Ret.), 14th Surgeon General of the United States. Moderator: Ms. Christa Calamas, Staff Director, Florida House of Representatives Health and Human Services Committee. Introduction: Mr. Daniel Woodring, Principal Attorney, Woodring Law Firm.

This panel will address the religious rights of persons and corporate entities in the context of the same sex marriage rulings, threats to not-for-profit status, cake baking, and other current areas of uncertainty. The panel will also discuss appropriate Federal/Florida roles and possible distinctions between protection under the law and civil disobedience in the context of religious liberty. -- This panel was part of the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's Boardwalk Inn in Lake Buena Vista, FL on January 22-23, 2016. -- Featuring: Prof. Carl H. Esbeck, R.B. Price Professor Emeritus of Law/Isabelle Wade & Paul C. Lyda Emeritus of Law, University of Missouri School of Law; Prof. William P. Marshall, William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law; and Prof. Michael P. Moreland, Mary Ann Remick Senior Visiting Fellow and Concurrent Professor of Law at University of Notre Dame. Moderator: Hon. Timothy Osterhaus, Florida First District Court of Appeal. Introduction: Dr. Nathan Adams, Holland & Knight LLP.

This panel was part of the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's Boardwalk Inn in Lake Buena Vista, FL on January 22-23, 2016. -- Featuring: Hon. Charles T. Canady, Florida Supreme Court and Hon. William H. Pryor, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Moderator: Dean R. Alexander Acosta, Dean, Florida International University College of Law. Introduction: Mr. Morgan Streetman, Founder and Principal, Streetman Law.

In recent years there has been a debate across the ideological spectrum about the reach and role of criminal law and punishment in the United States. This panel will explore the growth of criminal laws, the role of prosecutorial discretion, recent dialogue and actions around incarceration, and the appropriate federal/Florida roles in these arenas. -- This panel was part of the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's Boardwalk Inn in Lake Buena Vista, FL on January 22-23, 2016. -- Featuring: Prof. Ellen Podgor, Gary R. Trombley Family White-Collar Crime Research Professor and Professor of Law, Stetson Law School; Mr. William N. Shepherd, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP; Prof. John Stinneford, Professor of Law and Assistant Director, Criminal Justice Center at Levin College of Law, University of Florida; and Mr. Kenneth W. Sukhia, Owner, Sukhia Law Group PLC and former U.S. Attorney. Moderator: Hon. Stephanie Ray, Florida First District Court of Appeal. Introduction: Mr. Daniel Woodring, Principal Attorney, Woodring Law Firm.

Since before the Revolution, American legal and political traditions have supported many forms of multiculturalism, through institutions such as freedom of association, religious liberty, parental rights, freedom of speech, private property, federalism, often open immigration policy, and the like. And those traditions have likewise imposed constraints on such multiculturalism. What can those traditions tell us about today’s multiculturalism debates? -- This panel took place during the 18th Annual Faculty Conference at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York, NY on January 9, 2016. -- Featuring: Prof. Mary Anne Case, University of Chicago Law School; Prof. John C. Eastman, Chapman University School of Law; Prof. Richard W. Garnett, University of Notre Dame Law School; and Ms. Heather Mac Donald, Manhattan Institute. Moderator: Prof. Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Georgetown University Law Center.