Defending the Third Branch

This dynamic discussion on "Defending the Third Branch" took place at the ACS 2018 National Convention on Friday, June 8.

The third branch is in danger of being reshaped in ways that affect hard-won gains in civil and human rights, economic and criminal justice, and basic access to a fair and impartial justice system for generations to come. Our speakers will discuss what can be learned from other democracies’ experiences with attacks on the judiciary, and how we can think - and speak - differently in the courts’ defense in order to help the public understand what is at stake.

Featuring:
Ron Klain, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Revolution LLC
Tom Ginsburg, Leo Spitz Professor of International Law, Ludwig and Hilde Wolf Research Scholar, Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago
Ginna Green, Managing Director, Democracy Collaborative, ReThink Media
Christopher Kang, Chief Counsel, Demand Justice
Melissa Price Kromm, Director, North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections
Hon. Timothy Lewis, Counsel, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
Kristine Lucius, Executive Vice President for Policy, The Leadership Conference

Safeguarding the Rule of Law

Our 2018 convention breakout session: "Safeguarding the Rule of Law" took place on Friday, June 8.

Critics contend that the United States is currently being led by an executive who demonstrates autocratic tendencies, with a record of ignoring established legal processes, dismantling democratic conventions, and flouting norms that help preserve a stable, reliable government. Are alleged violations of the Emoluments
Clauses; attacks on the Mueller investigation, the Justice Department, the judiciary, and the press; and the abandonment of established norms challenging the vitality of the rule of law? If so, what can be done in response?

Featuring:

Easha Anand, Associate, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Co-Host, Versus Trump podcast
Hon. Norman Eisen, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
Daniel Goldman, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York
Asha Rangappa, Senior Lecturer, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University
David Strauss, Gerald Ratner Distinguished Service Professor of Law & Faculty Director, Jenner & Block Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic, University of Chicago Law School
Justin Walker, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law

Religious Freedom v. Anti-Discrimination Law: Can Rights Be Reconciled?

Our ACS 2018 convention breakout session, "Religious Freedom v. Anti-Discrimination Law: Can Rights Be Reconciled?" took place on Friday, June 8.

Increasingly, religious liberty claims seem in conflict with reproductive and LGTBQ rights, and these conflicts are being litigated in courthouses, legislatures, and the public discourse. If exemptions are to be available to those who object to abortion, contraception, and marriage equality, on what principle would exemption claims based on beliefs about race be distinguished from claims based on beliefs about sexuality and gender? Is there a constructive way through this thicket?

Featuring:

Mark Joseph Stern, Staff Writer, Slate
Shannon Minter, Legal Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Lourdes Rivera, Senior Vice President, U.S. Programs, Center for Reproductive Rights
Micah Schwartzman, Joseph W. Dorn Research Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
Robin Fretwell Wilson, Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law, University of Illinois College of Law; Director and Founder, Tolerance Means Dialogues

#MeToo, UsToo. Can Lawyers Take the Lead?

This timely and important discussion: #MeToo, UsToo. Can Lawyers Take the Lead? took place at the ACS 2018 convention on Friday, June 8.

The impact of the viral #MeToo campaign has revealed the pervasiveness of sexual assault, harassment, and misconduct on campuses, in the media, and in every workplace, including the legal profession. Panelists will reflect on how the movement has empowered women and others vulnerable to this type of abuse to come forward and share their stories. They will also discuss concerns about visibility and retaliation, how the legal profession can take a leadership role in enacting change, and the challenges that remain.

Featuring:

Meena Harris, Commissioner, San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women; Head of Strategy & Leadership, Uber
F. Paul Bland, Jr., Executive Director, Public Justice
Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center
Kalpana Kotagal, Partner, Cohen Milstein
Catherine Lhamon, Chair, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Deborah Rhode, Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
Hon. Shira Scheindlin, Of Counsel, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, LLP

Interview with Regina Taylor

Meet Regina Taylor, a Next Generation Leader and her experience with ACS. Taylor, a student at Faulkner Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Alabama, graduates in 2018.

ACS's Next Generation Leaders (NGL) program identifies and provides support to recent and forthcoming law school graduates who have demonstrated special leadership in their work with ACS’s student chapters, and who have the interest, skills and ability to remain vital members of the ACS community for years to come. NGL applicants undergo a competitive application process. Each year, 20-25 students are selected as NGLs, and one NGL is selected to serve a two-year term as a student member of ACS’s Board of Directors.