The recent primary elections in Wisconsin and Ohio demonstrated just how disruptive the current global health crisis is to voting - and how important it will be to protect our elections this November. No voters should be forced to choose between casting their ballots and protecting their health and safety. As states face the prospect of administering a November presidential election during a pandemic, lawmakers and election officials alike need to prioritize safe, equitable access to the ballot in order to preserve our most important democratic institutions.
On Tuesday, May 19, the ACS Columbus, Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, Colorado, Georgia, Hoosier, Houston, Knoxville, Los Angeles, Madison, Michigan, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Northeast Ohio Chapters, as well as election experts, explored how states can best adapt to this new reality and what other COVID-impacted elections in the United States can teach us about the path forward.
Featuring:
Edward Foley, Charles W. Ebersold and Florence Whitcomb Ebersold Chair in Constitutional Law and Director of the Election Law Program, The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law
Richard Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science, UC Irvine School of Law
Moderated by:
Katy Shanahan, Ohio State Director, All on the Line; Co-President, ACS Columbus Lawyer Chapter
On May 21st, the ACS Madison Lawyer Chapter, the ACS Marquette University Law School Student Chapter, the ACS Milwaukee Lawyer Chapter, and the ACS University of Wisconsin Law School Student Chapter hosted a happy hour discussion on some of the barriers faced, and overcome, by women in the law with Justice Rebecca Dallet of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Featuring:
Hon. Rebecca Dallet, Justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
On Thursday, May 7, 2020, the ACS Oregon Lawyer Chapter hosted a virtual discussion and forum with candidates for the 12th Position in Oregon's 4th Judicial District.
Candidates:
Adrian Brown
Rima Ghandour
Sonia Montalbano
John Schlosser
Ernest Warren
Watch video on YouTube.
On Tuesday, May 5, the ACS Bay Area Lawyer Chapter, the ACS At-Large Chapter, the ACS Los Angeles Lawyer Chapter, the ACS Sacramento Lawyer Chapter, and the ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter hosted a discussion of the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Martin v. Boise and current homelessness policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Martin, the Ninth Circuit held that governments cannot criminalize conduct that is the “unavoidable consequence” of being unhoused if the government cannot provide accessible indoor shelter. In California, home to more than 150,000 unhoused people, the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled local and state government officials to move away from a criminalization approach to homelessness and towards a rapid effort to provide shelter.
This online panel discussion covered the Martin litigation, analyzed how the case was beginning to influence governmental responses to homelessness before the COVID-19 pandemic, and overviewed the important constitutional questions relating to the rights of unhoused people during this public health crisis.
Featuring:
Tristia Bauman, Senior Staff Attorney, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
Zoe Savitsky, Deputy City Attorney, Oakland City Attorney’s Office
Thomas Zito, Supervising Attorney, Disability Rights Advocates
Moderated by:
Jamie Crook, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU Foundation of Northern California; Member, ACS Bay Area Lawyer Chapter Board of Directors
