ACS Panel Discussion

Panelists offered analysis of the case and its implications, and previewed some of the points likely to be considered when the Supreme Court hears oral argument on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. The panel featured Robert F. Bauer, General Counsel, Democratic National Committee; James Bopp, Jr., General Counsel, James Madison Center for Free Speech; Laurence E. Gold, Associate General Counsel, AFL-CIO; Fred Wertheimer, President and CEO, Democray 21 and Democracy 21 Education Fund; and Moderater, Joan Biskupic, Supreme Court Correspondent, USA Today.

The Road from Lincoln to Obama: The Constitution and The New Birth of Freedom

The congressionally-declared theme of the inaugural ceremony of President-elect Obama, "A New Birth of Freedom," commemorates President Lincoln's vision in the Gettysburg Address. Developing this theme, ACS, together with NAACP LDF, MALDEF and Constitutional Accountability Center, co-sponsored a program on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 entitled The Road from Lincoln to Obama: The Constitution and the New Birth of Freedom. Leading historians, constitutional law experts and civil rights leaders discussed how the "new birth of freedom" that Lincoln spoke of at Gettysburg took form in the Civil War Amendments, which protected liberty and equality, how those Amendments have been interpreted (and in some cases misinterpreted) since their ratification, and how their promise can be fulfilled today. The panel featured: * Moderator, Mary Frances Berry, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania * Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University * John Payton, President and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund * John Trasviña, President and General Counsel, MALDEF * Doug Kendall, Founder and President, Constitutional Accountability Center

(In)effective Assistance of Counsel for Criminal Defendants -- 2008 National Convention Breakout Session

Supreme Court decisions have made it significantly more difficult for those convicted of crimes to prevail on ineffective assistance of counsel claims, even though many believe that the possibility of appellate review of these claims is one of the principal factors motivating states to supply a basic level funding for counsel for indigent defendants. The stakes are always high, but they are especially high in death penalty cases. How should effective assistance of counsel be measured? What is the national commitment to the right to counsel, and how should it be measured in financial terms? How does this situation play out in the states?

Panelists included:

Supreme Court decisions have made it significantly more difficult for those convicted of crimes to prevail on ineffective assistance of counsel claims, even though many believe that the possibility of appellate review of these claims is one of the principal factors motivating states to supply a basic level funding for counsel for indigent defendants. The stakes are always high, but they are especially high in death penalty cases. How should effective assistance of counsel be measured? What is the national commitment to the right to counsel, and how should it be measured in financial terms? How does this situation play out in the states?

Panelists included:

  • Moderator, Judge Merrick Garland, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (Windows Media)
  • Judge Louis Sands, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (Windows Media)
  • Michael Dreeben, Deputy Solicitor General, Office of the Solicitor General (Windows Media)
  • Donald Verrilli, Jenner & Block LLP (Windows Media)
  • Beth Wilkinson, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Fannie Mae (Windows Media)

    Discussion: (Windows Media)
    Questions and Answers: (Windows Media)

    Eric Holder on the Rule of Law - 2008 ACS National Convention

    Eric Holder Jr. addressed ACS National Convention attendees Friday evening on the responsibility of Americans to preserve and protect our Constitution and reaffirm the principle of rule of law to its rightful, central place in our society. Mr. Holder serves on ACS's Board of Directors and served as Deputy Attorney General under President Clinton. Eric Holder Jr. addressed ACS National Convention attendees Friday evening on the responsibility of Americans to preserve and protect our Constitution and reaffirm the principle of rule of law to its rightful, central place in our society. Mr. Holder serves on ACS's Board of Directors and served as Deputy Attorney General under President Clinton.