To strengthen their work to protect voting rights, ACS and the Campaign Legal Center unveiled the next phase of their Voting Rights Institute (VRI) project at the National Press Club on October 2. The event formally announced that the voting rights trainings that ACS and the Campaign legal center have been conducting across the nation for more than a year will now have a permanent home at Georgetown University Law Center.
Featured Speakers:
Wendy Davis, former Texas State Senator
Caroline Fredrickson, President, American Constitution Society
J. Gerald Hebert, Executive Director & Director of Litigation, Campaign Legal Center
William Treanor, Dean, Georgetown University Law Center
The landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the most successful civil rights laws in our nation’s history, and remains an important piece of national legislation. This training aimed to provide attendees with the tools and tips necessary to become active members of the voting rights bar. This training provided an overview of voting rights law including Section 5: Shelby County v. Holder, Section 2: Voter ID & Redistricting, and constitution claims illustrated by Crawford v. Marion County Board of Elections. It covered race & voting, litigation strategies, Photo ID cases, new theories found in cases like White v. Regester & Lario, and careers in Election Law and Voting Rights.
Featuring:
Gary Bledsoe – President, Texas NAACP
Wendy Davis – former Texas State Senator
Chad Dunn – Partner, Brazil & Dunn
Martin Golando – General Counsel, Mexican American Legislative Caucus
Gerry Hebert – Executive Director and Director of Litigation, Campaign Legal Center
David Richards – Senior Counsel, Richards Rodriguez & Skeith LLP
The landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 is undoubtedly one of the most successful civil rights laws in our Nation’s history, and remains an important piece of national legislation that is still relevant today. However, the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder effectively nullified the Act’s special preclearance provisions. As a result, until Congress amends the Act, voting rights litigation will be the only path available to minority voters seeking to protect their rights against discriminatory voting laws.
On October 8, 2014, the American Constitution hosted a half-day training program at the Miami Voting Rights Training Institute, taught by some of the most respected voting rights practitioners in the country. This training's goal was to arm attendees with the tools and tips necessary to become active members of the voting rights bar and provide an opportunity for new and returning members of the voting rights community to meet and strategize about the challenges to come.
Panel discussion included:
- Nancy Abudu, Director of Legal Operations , ACLU of Florida
- Neil Bradley, Former Associate Director at ACLU Voting Rights Project
- Chad Dunn, Partner, Brazil & Dunn
- Gerry Hebert, Executive Director & Director of Litigation, Campaign Legal Center
- Franita Tolson, Betty T. Ferguson Professor of Voting Rights, Florida State University College of Law
