This event will focus on the current and planned activities of the ACS student chapter. During this event, we will hold group activities to encourage attendees to participate in the decision-making process for what ACS does on campus and in the community. We will specifically seek information from first year students to learn more about how to be inclusive to that cohort. We will also present our one-paragraph public blurb of what our student chapter of ACS is and what it does, for approval and then placement on our school webpage.

Duke Law National Lawyer's Guild ("NLG") and the Duke Law American Constitution Society ("ACS") are hosting an event with Atlantic writer Derek Thompson. Derek will talk about his career journey, time at The Atlantic, and unique perspective on American current affairs. Lunch will be provided.

Progressive Cities: A Frontier of Policy Innovation Despite State Preemption

October 28, 2024 @ 12:45 pm - 2:00 pm PDT @ SLS: Room 280B

This event has passed.

Our federal government seems to have a difficult time driving policy innovation, and our federal courts seem an uncertain line of defense for individual rights (see, e.g., Congressional gridlock, restrictions on executive power, and contemporary SCOTUS). Where do progressives turn? Local governments have the ability to innovate, particularly progressive cities. For blue cities in red states operating under the thumb of state preemption, this can be particularly challenging–and require exceptional innovation. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and General Counsel Gavriel Schreiber have firsthand experience at the frontier of progressive policy innovation, despite the roadblocks erected by the State of Missouri. Their forthcoming article, “Post-Emption and the Mayoral Toolbox: Levers and Limits of City Resistance to State Preemption” (University of Chicago Law Review, vol. 91 (Dec. 2024)), reflects upon their experiences and explores how municipal advocates need to thoroughly understand the complex bilateral relationship between cities and their states. 

Join us for a discussion with Mayor Lucas and General Counsel Schreiber, moderated by Professor Michelle Wilde Anderson, about the opportunities and challenges of effectively leading a progressive municipal government in a conservative state.

HLS Professor Nicholas Stephanopoulos will be discussing his book, Aligning Election Law. The event is cosponsored by the Equal Democracy Project and the book covers major topics in election law, including restrictions on voting rights, gerrymandering, and campaign finance. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/8uRNHbPuK8ftDRZ89

ACS and the Environmental & Energy Law Society hosted Professor Hubertz (environmental law professor at WashU and director of the interdisciplinary environmental law clinic at WashU) to answer question for members.

Please join the ACS Boston Lawyer Chapter, and the ACS Boston University School of Law, Boston College of Law, Harvard Law School, and the Suffolk Law School Student Chapters for a virtual panel discussion on alternatives to the Electoral College, including the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Learn more about the National Popular Vote Compact here (state election officials in all states participating in the compact would award their Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who receives the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia). 

Featuring:

Amel Ahmed, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Gerry Leonard, Professor of Law and Law Alumni Scholar, Boston University School of Law

Rob Richie, Senior Advisor & Co-Founder, Fair Vote

Moderated by Robert Whitney, President, ACS Boston Lawyer Chapter