A free and open Internet has become one of history's most important "speech engines"—allowing anyone to use the megaphone of the Internet to express themselves. Scholars, activists, politicians and the general public utilize the Internet to stoke debate, challenge norms, rally constituents and change lives. Additionally, the emergence of digital democracy over the last decade has forced courts to revisit free expression principles in an entirely novel context and has prompted government actors to reevaluate their approaches to Internet regulation. What government and court actions might be considered a threat to free speech on the Internet, and when are limitations on free expression legitimate? How have these actions impacted the development of technologies? Is there a progressive vision for free expression and the Internet?
Speakers:
Danielle Citron, Professor of Law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Garrett Epps, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law
Emma Llansó, Director, Free Expression Project, Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT)
Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel and Policy Advisor, American Civil Liberties Union, Washington Legislative Office
Tim Sparapani, Vice President of Law, Policy and Government Relations, App Developers Alliance
In his 2014 State of the Union speech, President Obama declared: "... [W]herever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do." The scope of executive authority, whether in the face of congressional obstruction or presidential assertions of power, has been continually called into question in recent years. From the controversy over raising the debt limit to the Supreme Court's review of the President's recess appointment powers, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and decisions about foreign military intervention, these questions continue to surface and how they are answered will have tremendous impact on how our government does—or does not—function. This panel addressed the shifting nature of the executive-legislative relationship in a time of gridlock in Washington.
Speakers:
Steven G. Bradbury, Partner, Dechert LLP
Michael Gottlieb, Partner, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Editor, Slate
Gillian Metzger, Vice Dean and Stanley H. Fuld Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Center for Constitutional Governance, Columbia Law School
Ronald Weich, Dean, University of Baltimore School of Law
This panel explored the question of whether rights are violated by the shift of inherently governmental functions to the private sector. Our prison systems are contracted out; some of our education schemes include vouchers and for-profit charter schools; our regulators are hiring private consultants to help enforce compliance and catch fraud; our federal Medicare systems rely on the insurance industry to determine medical necessity; and our courts are now telling litigants that judicial process is being privatized through arbitration. Are there constitutional or legal lines that are being crossed? How should progressives respond?
Speakers:
Kimberly Brown, Associate Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law
Reuben A. Guttman, Director, Grant & Eisenhofer P.A.; Adjunct Professor and Senior Fellow, Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, Emory University School of Law
Jon D. Michaels, Anne Urowsky Visiting Professor of Law, Yale Law School; Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
Miriam Seifter, Visiting Researcher and Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Paul R. Verkuil, Chairman, Administrative Conference of the United States
Peter B. Edelman receives the ACS Progressive Champion Award at the 2014 ACS National Convention. Edelman is a distinguished law professor and director of the Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy at Georgetown University Law School and a nationally renowned advocate for the nation’s most vulnerable.
The American Constitution Society's David Carliner Public Interest Award was established in memory of one of the great public interest lawyers of the 20th Century, David Carliner (1918-2007), a champion of justice in his native Washington, D.C. and on the national stage. A tireless, innovative litigator, he also played a leading role in building institutions devoted to protecting civil and human rights and combating injustice on a systemic basis. A pioneering immigration lawyer, an ardent foe of Jim Crow, and a leading champion of full political rights for citizens of the District of Columbia, he also was the founding chair of the American Civil Liberties Union-National Capital Area and the International Human Rights Law Group (now GlobalRights). The Award recognizes outstanding public interest lawyers whose work best exemplifies its namesake’s legacy of fearless, uncompromising and creative advocacy on behalf of marginalized people.
The 2014 recipient was Peter J. Wagner, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Prison Policy Initiative.
Wagner co-founded Prison Policy Initiative in 2001 and has helped grow it to a nationally recognized think tank that highlights the pervasive impact that mass incarceration in the U.S. can have on the economy, the electoral process and even interpersonal relationships. Among its numerous achievements, Prison Policy Initiative has led the charge against prison gerrymandering, working with states such as Maryland to end the practice that gives outsized political clout to legislative districts that contain prisons. Wagner has also served as an Instructor at Smith College, teaching courses on constitutional law and the prison industrial complex. In 2013, he was given the Champion of State Criminal Justice Reform Award by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
This panel explored the possible paths to work in-house,and how to make the most of your career once you get there. Topics of conversation included advice aboutacademic and early practice preparation for in-house work;opportunities for pro bono work in an in-house setting;diversity initiatives and other opportunities to make change from within a corporation; and other timely questions.
Speakers:
Fernando A. Bohorquez, Jr., Partner, BakerHostetler
Lisa Brown, Vice President and General Counsel, Georgetown University
Terrance D. Carroll, Associate General Counsel, SCL Health System
Martha Ann Mazzone, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Fidelity Investments
Michael Strautmanis, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship, Walt Disney Company
