ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School present videos from the "Keeping Faith with the Constitution in Changing Times" Conference, co-sponsored by ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee, October 6-7, 2006. This conference, an integral part of our Constitution in the 21st Century project and its Constitutional Interpretation and Change Issue Group, kicked off a major effort by ACS to affect the way lawyers, policymakers, advocates and students think and talk about the Constitution. This conference was a thought-provoking, highly substantive, and inspiring event, given the array of speakers that attended and the importance of topics that were addressed. The Conference featured seven panels over two days discussing issues such as the originalism debate; the roles of history, text and democratic legitimacy in constitutional interpretation; judicial perspectives on constitutional decision-making; and utilizing and communicating theories of constitutional interpretation in legal advocacy and to the public. A number of leading practitioners and academics addressed the conference.

Beyond the Ivory Tower: Translating Ideas into Action featuring: 

• Moderator, Andrew J. Pincus, Partner, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, Washington D.C. Office
• Melody Barnes, Executive Vice President for Policy, Center for American Progress
• Pamela S. Karlan, Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law, Stanford Law School
• Edward P. Lazarus, Partner, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP
• William P. Marshall, William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law

ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School present videos from the "Keeping Faith with the Constitution in Changing Times" Conference, co-sponsored by ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee, October 6-7, 2006. This conference, an integral part of our Constitution in the 21st Century project and its Constitutional Interpretation and Change Issue Group, kicked off a major effort by ACS to affect the way lawyers, policymakers, advocates and students think and talk about the Constitution. This conference was a thought-provoking, highly substantive, and inspiring event, given the array of speakers that attended and the importance of topics that were addressed. The Conference featured seven panels over two days discussing issues such as the originalism debate; the roles of history, text and democratic legitimacy in constitutional interpretation; judicial perspectives on constitutional decision-making; and utilizing and communicating theories of constitutional interpretation in legal advocacy and to the public. A number of leading practitioners and academics addressed the conference.

Constitutional Fidelity over Time and Democratic Legitimacy featuring:

• Moderator, Lisa Schultz Bressman, Co-Director of the Regulatory Program and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School
• Rebecca L. Brown, Allen Professor of Law at Vanderbilt Law School
• Frank I. Michelman, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard Law School
• Robin West, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center

ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School present videos from the "Keeping Faith with the Constitution in Changing Times" Conference, co-sponsored by ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee, October 6-7, 2006. This conference, an integral part of our Constitution in the 21st Century project and its Constitutional Interpretation and Change Issue Group, kicked off a major effort by ACS to affect the way lawyers, policymakers, advocates and students think and talk about the Constitution. This conference was a thought-provoking, highly substantive, and inspiring event, given the array of speakers that attended and the importance of topics that were addressed. The Conference featured seven panels over two days discussing issues such as the originalism debate; the roles of history, text and democratic legitimacy in constitutional interpretation; judicial perspectives on constitutional decision-making; and utilizing and communicating theories of constitutional interpretation in legal advocacy and to the public. A number of leading practitioners and academics addressed the conference.

The Varieties of Historical Argument featuring:

• Moderator, Deborah Hellman, Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law
• Peggy Cooper Davis, Frances Lewis Scholar in Residence, Washington and Lee University School of Law
• Robert W. Gordon, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and Legal History, Yale Law School
• Richard Primus, Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
• Keith Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, Princeton University

ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School present videos from the "Keeping Faith with the Constitution in Changing Times" Conference, co-sponsored by ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee, October 6-7, 2006. This conference, an integral part of our Constitution in the 21st Century project and its Constitutional Interpretation and Change Issue Group, kicked off a major effort by ACS to affect the way lawyers, policymakers, advocates and students think and talk about the Constitution. This conference was a thought-provoking, highly substantive, and inspiring event, given the array of speakers that attended and the importance of topics that were addressed. The Conference featured seven panels over two days discussing issues such as the originalism debate; the roles of history, text and democratic legitimacy in constitutional interpretation; judicial perspectives on constitutional decision-making; and utilizing and communicating theories of constitutional interpretation in legal advocacy and to the public. A number of leading practitioners and academics addressed the conference.

Constitutional Fidelity Over Time featuring:

• Moderator, Ed Rubin, Dean, Vanderbilt Law School
• Erwin Chermerinsky, Alston & Bird Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science, Duke University School of Law
• Marty Lederman, Visiting Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
• John McGinnis, Professor of Law, Northwestern University School of Law

ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School present videos from the "Keeping Faith with the Constitution in Changing Times" Conference, co-sponsored by ACS and Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee, October 6-7, 2006. This conference, an integral part of our Constitution in the 21st Century project and its Constitutional Interpretation and Change Issue Group, kicked off a major effort by ACS to affect the way lawyers, policymakers, advocates and students think and talk about the Constitution. This conference was a thought-provoking, highly substantive, and inspiring event, given the array of speakers that attended and the importance of topics that were addressed. The Conference featured seven panels over two days discussing issues such as the originalism debate; the roles of history, text and democratic legitimacy in constitutional interpretation; judicial perspectives on constitutional decision-making; and utilizing and communicating theories of constitutional interpretation in legal advocacy and to the public. A number of leading practitioners and academics addressed the conference.

Origins of the Debate over Originalism and the Living Constitution featuring:

• Moderator, Christopher Yoo, Professor of Law and Director of the Technology & Entertainment Law Program, Vanderbilt Law School
• Barry Friedman, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
• Howard Gillman, Professor of Political Science and Professor of History and Law, University of Southern California

On Sunday, June 18, Stanford Law Professor Pamela Karlan delivered closing remarks at the 2006 ACS National Convention. Her insightful -- and witty -- reflections explored a wide range of legal and policy topics and brought the Convention to a close on an inspiring note. Professor Karlan's address includes a number of concrete suggestions for how lawyers, law students and other concerned citizens can get involved in promoting and practicing progressive legal and policy values. Summarizing the theme of the Convention, which addressed "Democracy of the Rule of Law," Professor Karlan suggested that "we need a rule of law that's more than just a law of rules. We need laws that are just, and not just laws that satisfy the presentment clause."