Featured Speakers

Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Richard D. Cudahy Writing Competition on Regulatory and Administrative Law

Lawyer Winner

Student Winner

Thursday, June 18, 2026

4:30 to 5:45 p.m. — Ambassador Ballroom

Defending the Rule of Law: The Role of State Attorneys General

With the President of the United States and the U.S Department of Justice asserting authority and making legal arguments at odds with the Constitution and federal law, state attorneys general have stepped into the breach to defend the rule of law and individual rights. Representing the interests of their states, state attorneys general—together and individually—have filed more than 100 lawsuits in the last year-and-a-half to prevent the termination of funding for universities, scientific research, and health programs, defend birthright citizenship, seek an end to the deployment of the National Guard in U.S. cities, and more. They have also worked within their states to secure the rights of their states and people both from federal overreach and regressive state and local policies. What are the current challenges and opportunities for state attorneys general working to defend the rule of law? What challenges are coming down the pike? And how can people outside attorney general offices support this work?

Friday, June 19, 2026

9:30 to 10:45 a.m. — Regency Ballroom

The Imperial Presidency

Checks on executive power have become fully unbalanced, with boundaries and guardrails overrun daily. Congressional leadership unwilling to challenge a president of their own party and an enabling Court have thus far proven largely uninterested in reining in a president who openly defies constitutional and legal constraints on his power. What can be done now to curb executive power and rebalance our branches of federal government? What does accountability look like? How can we avoid such constitutional crises in the future?

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. — Empire Ballroom

Local Counsel as the Legal Vanguard 

At a time when political and policy fights have become nationalized, state and local counsel have served a critical role in responding to government overreach at every level. As individuals and organizations have been targeted by state and federal actors with sham investigations, maligned with accusations of terrorism or treason, and had their First Amendment rights trampled, they have turned to attorneys in their communities to defend themselves and their work from such brazen attacks. What lessons have been learned by these advocates on the front lines? What work is being done to respond to the moment and prepare for future fights? What can be done to support and bolster this important piece of legal infrastructure?

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. — Ambassador Ballroom

Juneteenth and the Reconstruction Amendments: Pulling the Arc Towards Justice

What does Juneteenth signify today? What lessons can we take from Juneteenth to combat the rise in white nationalism, the actions the current Administration has taken to erase Black historical narratives and the stories of marginalized communities, and the regressive actions of this Court? How do we use the Second Founding and the Reconstruction Amendments to build a more democratic and equitable future? Through this panel, our legal experts will apply the lens of the Reconstruction Amendments and the promise of Juneteenth to the areas of labor, criminal justice, and bodily autonomy, and discuss how we extrapolate this lens even further to build a more just future.

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. — Regency Ballroom

Ensuring Judicial Independence and Security

There is no rule of law without an independent judiciary. In recent years, sitting and retired federal judges have sounded the alarm on many of the threats facing our judiciary – from defiance of lawful judgments to disinformation campaigns to threats of impeachment and violence. What form are these threats taking and how are they experienced by federal judges? What can the legal profession do to restore trust in our courts and defend judicial independence even as certain courts issue rulings or conduct their affairs in ways we may disagree with? What can be done to protect judges from undue political threats from the executive and legislative branches as well as the increasing number of physical threats they are facing?

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. — Empire Ballroom

Mobilize for Democracy: Volunteer this Election Year and Beyond

What can law students do to help defend democracy in this year’s elections? In this workshop geared towards law students, attendees will hear about nonpartisan voting rights and election-related volunteer opportunities. The discussion will cover election protection, serving as a poll worker, virtual and in-person opportunities, days of action, and the Election Day Class Cancellation project.

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. — Ambassador Ballroom

The Democratic Constitution: Recovering the True Meaning of Our Founding Charter

The Constitution, properly interpreted, is fundamentally committed to democracy. And yet, this democracy principle is almost entirely absent from the jurisprudential or popular constitutional discourse. To the contrary, for decades, the conservative legal movement has used the Constitution to degrade democracy, undermine efforts to remedy racial and gender inequality, and facilitate the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a wealthy few. A conversation has emerged among scholars, lawyers, and movement leaders around a better way of understanding constitutional law and interpretation that starts with centering democracy as the Constitution’s animating principle. Where does the Constitution’s democracy principle come from? What do we gain by recovering the Constitution’s forgotten democratic commitments? And what do we need to do to make this vision a reality?

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. — Empire Ballroom

AI Regulation

For decades, technological advancement has outpaced regulation. This rhythm of innovation first, guardrails second has created a power dynamic that often leaves lawmakers playing catch-up and judges confronting complicated legal questions as technology collides with constitutional rights without the benefit of clear legislation or guidance. What reforms can be made to bring meaningful oversight and protections to tools powerful enough to reshape society? How can progressives approach regulating AI and other emerging technologies in a way that keeps pace with advancement? What should the regulations on AI look like and who should be responsible for enforcement? What would a public agenda for AI look like?

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. — Regency Ballroom

For the United States: Rebuilding Independence at the Department of Justice

The Department of Justice is in crisis. The bedrock principle of non-interference, once held sacrosanct by administrations of both parties, has been jettisoned. The Attorney General has directed the Department to represent the President and his agenda above all else. Thousands of attorneys and professionals have left or been forced out as leadership pursues personal and political grudges at the President’s open direction. What reforms can be instituted to restore the department’s independence? What can be done by Congress or outside organizations to bring oversight to the abuses taking place within the department? What can future administrations do to restore the Department’s professionalism and reputation?

4:15 to 5:45 p.m. — Regency Ballroom

State Courts as Champions of Rights

For the last several years, progressives have increasingly turned to state courts and state constitutions to protect individual rights in a time of federal retrenchment and check the rapidly expanding overreach of the federal government. How has this pivot to the states been working and what could be done to strengthen these critical institutions? What should practitioners know as they navigate these dynamics?

Saturday, June 20, 2026

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. — Ambassador Ballroom

Bringing the Constitution to the Classroom

As Christian nationalists push to inject religion into public schools, ACS has released lesson plans on the Separation of Church and State and the U.S. Constitution to bring important civic education to primary and secondary students throughout the country. How can younger students most effectively engage with constitutional principles? What has worked best for volunteers in years’ past? This interactive workshop will empower participants to teach the Constitution in the Classroom curriculum in schools within their communities and bring the program to their chapter.

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. — Diplomat Ballroom

Voting Rights After Callais

For over a decade, the Roberts Court has whittled away the power of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), one of the most successful pieces of civil rights legislation in our nation’s history. Now, pro-democracy proponents are regrouping after the Court’s demolition of the VRA in Louisiana v. Callais. How can meaningful political representation be achieved in the face of open hostility from a conservative supermajority on the Court? What does voting rights litigation look like in a post-VRA world? Are there meaningful reforms to be enacted at the local, state, or national level to mitigate the impact of the loss of Section 2?

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Regency Ballroom

Staying in the Fight

When we fight, we win. Across the country, progressive victories have been achieved in courtrooms, in city halls and state legislatures, on campuses, and in the streets through solidarity and a refusal to comply in advance with authoritarian tactics and pressure. What has worked and what else can be done? What role can lawyers and law students play in their communities and in their practice to defend the rule of law? At a time of growing frustration, how can we best engage with the fight for real reform while working within the system?

Schedule is subject to change.

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If you have questions about sponsoring the 2026 ACS National Convention, please contact Carlye Gibson Rooney, Vice President of Development, via email at cgibsonrooney@acslaw.org.

Scholarships
Applications for scholarships to attend the 2026 Convention are now closed. If you have any scholarship-related questions, please email Campus@acslaw.org.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
ACS has applied for CLE credit in several jurisdictions. The availability and amount of CLE credit may vary. CLE Resources.

Note that during each Convention session where CLE is available, the moderator will provide two codes, which you will have to enter into this form to verify your participation.

ACS will update the list below as it receives approvals:

Approved:

• Arizona – 8.5 credits
• Arkansas – 8.5 credits
• California – 8.5 credits
• Delaware – 8.5 credits
• Florida – 10 credits
• Georgia – 8.5 credits
• Illinois – 8.5 credits
• Indiana – 8.5 credits
• Kansas – 10 credits
• Minnesota – 8.5 credits
• Missouri – 10.2 credits
• New York – 10.2 credits
• Nevada – 8.5 credits
• New Jersey – 10.2 credits
• Ohio – 8.5 credits
• Oregon – 8.5 credits
• Pennsylvania – 8.5 credits
• Texas – 8.5 credits
• Tennessee – 8.5 credits
• Washington – 8.5
• West Virginia – 10.2 credits
• Wisconsin – 10 credits

Additional states pending. Check back for updates. 

If you have further questions about CLE, please contact us at Convention@acslaw.org.