The ACS Bay Area Chapter invites you to join us for an important discussion on voting rights.

Voting rights have been under attack in the United States since before the Supreme Court's far-reaching 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. In 2025, at the federal level, efforts are intensifying that would disenfranchise millions of Americans. At the same time, many states are adopting reforms to make voting easier and more accessible, including by allowing young people to preregister to vote while they are still in high school.

This MCLE will explore current and recent challenges to voting rights, as well as opportunities that exist today to help young people participate in greater numbers, beginning when they are in high school. Attendees will come away with a better understanding of the severity of current challenges to voting rights, as well as how to help local communities engage youth to overcome those challenges.

Featuring:

Laura W. Brill, Founder & CEO, The Civics Center 

Pamela S. Karlan, Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law and co-director of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, Stanford Law School; Former Member, ACS Board of Directors

Hybrid

Zoom: Register here

In-person: Register here

1.0 hour of California General CLE Credit Available.

The American Constitution Society, the AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance, and We The Action, together with allied organizations, has established the Federal Employees Legal Defense Network. We now need volunteer lawyers to help with intake of federal employees and providing pro bono legal assistance.

We are facing the largest mass firing in U.S. history and certainly the most reckless and cruel one as well. It threatens everything we stand for from the right to organize to the right to a safe workplace. The current administration's actions have overwhelmed the federal employee bar and we need your help.

What it will mean for you to be part of the Network:

By joining the Network, you agree to attend a training and help with either intake or providing a pro bono consultation of up to one hour for a federal employee. For those who agree to help beyond intake, the Network will provide your name (along with one or two other attorney's names) to a federal employee who requests assistance. ​​​​​

When you click on the link to join, you will be prompted to enter your email address and create account with We The Action. You can then select to join the project. A recorded training is available on demand after you sign up, but you can also attend a live, virtual training scheduled for Thursday, March 27, at 1:00 pm ET. After you join the Federal Employees Legal Defense Network and participate in a training, you will be contacted about volunteering as the Network ramps up in the coming weeks. There is no obligation when you sign up.

What the Network will do for you:

We will supply step-by-step instructions for the initial consultation.

We will supply detailed guidance concerning the types of concerns the employee may have.

We will supply more detailed training on specific topics.

We will supply access to a back-up center of highly experienced lawyers you can call with questions.

We will supply access to specialists in a variety of areas (e.g., criminal law, whistleblowing) to whom you can refer the employee as needed.

Together, we can make an enormous difference but only if we all act together.

Please help us defend these brave public servants.

Thank you.  

 

ACS is doing a private tour of the Dirksen Courthouse, which hosts the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. We will sit in on court proceedings and then meet Judge Jenkins.

Note: This is a private event.

Join ACS and Scott Wilkens of the Knight Institute as they discuss the different threats to free speech under the current administration.

ACS invites members to join us for an outing to visit Judge Lindsay Jenkins's courtroom while it is in session as she hears several civil and criminal matters. After proceedings finish for the morning, Judge Jenkins will speak privately with members about the proceedings, about her background, and about any career-oriented questions students may have.

Maybe you came to WCL to pursue a career in public interest and/or public service after graduation. Maybe you are graduating and the change in administration has impacted your post-graduation plans. Maybe you still have some time before graduation but aren't sure what is next for you. If you're looking for advice on where to go from here, please join the WCL Chapter of the American Constitution Society, the Office of Career and Professional Development, the Office for Public Interest, and the Externship Office for a panel discussion featuring WCL alumni who have been in your shoes before and how they found their way to careers in public interest and/or public service after graduation. Meet in YT17.