Professor Paul Koster is giving a presentation on the rule of law. This event explores the relationship between the rule of law and the pursuit of justice, inviting participants to examine when actions that may violate existing laws either undermine or further the rule of law. Using historical and contemporary case studies—including the May Day protests of 1971, the January 6, 2021 Capitol events, and the legal controversies surrounding sanctuary jurisdictions—attendees will analyze foundational principles of the rule of law such as independence, equality, transparency, fairness, human dignity, and due process. Through guided reflections and discussion, participants will consider distinctions between rightful civil disobedience and wrongful lawlessness, and between permissible governmental discretion and abuse of power. The event encourages participants to critically engage with how legal actors and citizens can act to support or challenge the rule of law, fostering skills, knowledge, and values that emphasize justice, ethical responsibility, and principled legal practice.
GOVERNMENT GAGGED: THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF EMPLOYEE WHISTLEBLOWERS
Join Maurer's American Constitution Society, Public Interest Law Foundation, Plaintiff's Law Association, and FedSoc for a conversation on what public employees can and cannot say with speaker Frank LaMonte.
Rules and policies that forbid public employees from speaking about their work are pervasive across all levels of government, from Cabinet-level agencies down to the smallest local school district. While commonplace, these restrictions exist under a dark cloud of constitutional doubt. Decades worth of First Amendment caselaw establishes that public employers cannot gag their employees from sharing information and expertise gathered at work. What rights do public-sector workers have, where do First Amendment freedoms give way to employers’ authority to maintain order, and how is the public affected when government employees are restrained from speaking freely?
State of Federal and Local Benefits
Join Villanova Law's ACS and Anti-Poverty Law Society for an important panel on recent changes to federal and state benefits. We look forward to hosting a panel of practitioners and academics to discuss changes to SNAP, Medicaid, and taxes (including the ACA tax credits) which will affect low-income populations. The panelists include: Maripat Pileggi (Supervising Attorney, Community Legal Services); Amy Feinberg (Director of the Villanova Tax Clinic), and Ana Santos Rutschman (Professor of Law, Villanova Law).
ACS New York: Countering State and Federal Attacks on First Amendment Rights
Join the ACS New York Lawyer Chapter, the Leitner Center for International Law & Justice, and ACS Fordham Law School Student Chapter for a discussion on the First Amendment Right. A number of U.S. states and the federal government have taken actions and enacted legislation to restrict rights protected by the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Such restrictions include book bans, censorship of speech in educational settings, libraries, museums and private corporations, restrictions on press access, penalizing lawful dissent and protest, and more. Our distinguished speakers will discuss ongoing infringements of these 1st Amendment guarantees, and the legal challenges and advocacy their organizations are undertaking to counter these infringements.
Featuring:
Carey Dunne, Founder and Chair, Free + Fair Litigation Group
Elly Brinkley, Staff Attorney, U.S. Free Expression Programs, PEN America
Moderator:
Jeanmarie Fenrich, CSR Program Director, Leitner Center for International Law & Justice, Fordham University School of Law
Register here!
To attend virtually, register here!
WashU Law: Employment Talk with Professor Kim x Labor and Employment Law Society
Join WashU Law’s ACS chapter, partnering with the Labor and Employment Law Society, for a conversation with Professor Pauline Kim, a nationally recognized scholar in employment law. Professor Kim will discuss her research and teaching on workplace protections, anti-discrimination law, and the ways employment law shapes the lives of workers across industries. The program will highlight both doctrinal developments and the practical implications for lawyers interested in careers in labor and employment law. Lunch will be served.
Drones, Drugs, and the Constitution: The New Frontiers of Executive Power
Since September 2025, the Trump administration has conducted at least nineteen drone strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing over 75 people, far from any battlefield. Never before has a president claimed the authority to use military force against drug traffickers as a matter of self-defense. Former government lawyers and legal scholars across the political spectrum warn that this crosses a red line. They contend these strikes constitute extrajudicial killings prohibited by international law, and that they represent a dangerous expansion of executive power. Moreover, these actions show no signs of slowing, with the administration discussing potential lethal action within Venezuela’s borders and moving military assets to the region.
Join us for a conversation with Professors Allen Weiner and Harold Trinkunas about the boundaries of presidential authority, the administration’s foreign policy strategy, and the role of lawyers in deciding when and how America uses lethal force.
This event is co-sponsored by the Stanford National Security Law Society (SNSLS), the American Constitution Society (ACS), the Stanford Immigration & Human Rights Law Association (SIHRLA), and the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC).