ACS at 25: Past, Present, and Future of the Progressive Legal Movement

In 2001, then-Professor Peter Rubin, a member of the Georgetown Law faculty, convened a small group of progressive lawyers and others to incorporate and launch nationally the American Constitution Society. At the time ACS had only one chapter, its flagship chapter at Georgetown Law School, founded two years earlier by students of Professor Rubin. ACS had been so successful at Georgetown, and after Bush v. Gore the need for an organization dedicated to restoring the proper understanding of American law had become so clear that there was an enormous thirst for an organization like ACS.

Twenty-five years later, ACS has grown to have 250 chapters across the country, bringing together progressive lawyers, students, judges, scholars, elected officials, and advocates who are committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that the law is a force for improving people’s lives. Incoming ACS President Phil Brest, Board Chair Keith Harper, and Board Chair-Elect Michele Goodwin return to where it all began to discuss ACS’s legacy, meeting the current moment, and the future of the progressive legal movement.

Featuring:

Phil Brest, Incoming President, American Constitution Society

Dr. Michele Goodwin, Board Chair-Elect, American Constitution Society; Linda D. & Timothy J. O'Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy, Georgetown Law; Faculty Director, O'Neill Institute

Ambassador (ret.) Keith Harper, Board Chair, American Constitution Society; Partner and Chair of the Native American Practice Group, Jenner & Block

Tessa Freeman, ACS Georgetown Chapter President (Moderator)

Introductory remarks will be provided by Hon. Peter Rubin, Associate Justice, Massachusetts Court of Appeals. 

4:00-5:00 p.m. Panel

5:00-6:00 p.m. Reception