Join the William & Mary Law ACS Student Chapter for the 2021 ELS Symposium that will examine the role of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in the 2020 election and its potential reform going forward, both as a tool to address voting rules and districting maps that harm minority voters.
It will reflect on why and whether the VRA litigation remains vital and will explore emerging trends in VRA-related reform efforts as we move into a post-Trump, post-pandemic era. Attendees will gain valuable context and knowledgeable projections about the VRA and its role going forward with help from respected practitioners and scholars who work in the minority voting rights arena.
This event will feature:
Jessica Amunson (Jenner & Block, Brnovich counsel)
Adriel I. Cepeda Derieux (ACLU)
Leah Aden (NAACP LDF, Shelby County litigant, Section 2 expert)
Mark Braden (BakerHostetler, Shelby County litigant)
Jason Torchinsky (W&M alumus and adjunct; litigates Section 2)
Join the NYU Law' ACS Student Chapter for a chance to hear about the Department of Justice under the Biden administration. What does the new composition of the DOJ mean for the pursuit of progressive policy? How will a DOJ led by Merrick Garland, Lisa Monaco, and Vanita Gupta impact enforcement decisions? What institutional, legal, and political limitations do actors within the DOJ face in their ability to shape enforcement? What limits should there be? This expert panel will tackle these questions and their implications for voting, hate crimes, racial justice, and other pressing civil rights issues.
Panelists:
- Taryn Merkl, Senior Counsel at NYU's Brennan Center
- Roy Austin, VP of Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel at Facebook
Moderator:
- Julie Fernandes, Associate Director at Rockefeller Family Fund
Why can’t we pass gun control legislation even after a horrific mass shooting? Why couldn’t Congress pass any civil rights legislation for 82 years after Reconstruction? What could prevent us from reversing the anti-democratic, anti-voting legislation coming from states like Georgia?
The filibuster.
But isn’t the filibuster a central part of the founder’s vision for our country? Doesn’t the filibuster protect minority rights? And doesn’t the filibuster encourage bipartisan legislating?
No. No. And not even close.
The modern filibuster is the result of more than two centuries of work by those who stood—and stand—in the way of equality, progress, and fairness. It is now a kill switch that allows a minority of the Senate, representing a minority of voters, to repeatedly block needed—and popular—legislation.
This drove Adam Jentleson, Sen. Harry Reid’s former Deputy Chief of Staff, to write Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy. The book is a history of the intertwining narratives and bad faith actors that delivered the Senate to its current anti-democratic condition.
Join the Arizona State, UC Berkeley, West Virginia, and University of Arizona Law ACS Student Chapters, the Political & Election Empowerment Project, Green Apple Books, the WVU Labor Law Society, the National Lawyers Guild, and Manny’s in San Francisco as we welcome ACS President Russ Feingold and Adam Jentelson, for a discussion about his book and the filibuster. This event is going to be moderated by Spencer Pahlke and Amanda Sadra. There will also be Q&A session following the discussion.
To receive the Zoom invitation, please RSVP here.
Join the Harvard Law Review, ACS Student Chapter, and the Federalist Society for a panel discussion titled Covering the Court: Public Commentary and the Supreme Court. This event will feature a number of Supreme Court commentators from news outlets, podcasts, Twitter, and more, including Josie Duffy Rice of The Appeal, Katie Barlow of SCOTUSblog, Sarah Isgur of The Dispatch, and Steven Mazie of The Economist.
The panel will be moderated by Professor Kate Shaw of Cardozo Law and will feature reflection on the Supreme Court Term and the panelists’ experiences covering the Term in popular media.
To attend this event, please click here to register.
Join the NYU Law ACS Student Chapter for a chance to hear about the Department of Justice under the Biden administration! What does the new composition of the DOJ mean for the pursuit of progressive policy? How will a DOJ led by Merrick Garland, Lisa Monaco, and Vanita Gupta impact enforcement decisions? What institutional, legal, and political limitations do actors within the DOJ face in their ability to shape enforcement? What limits should there be? Our expert panel will tackle these questions and their implications for voting, hate crimes, racial justice, and other pressing civil rights issues.
Panelists:
- Taryn Merkl, Senior Counsel at NYU's Brennan Center
- Roy Austin, VP of Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel at Facebook
Moderated by:
- Julie Fernandes, Associate Director at Rockefeller Family Fund
To attend this event, please register here.
Join the Harvard ACS Student Chapter for a virtual hangout!
