FedSoc Events

After delegating significant power to the administrative state, is Congress properly discharging its oversight role? Are there tools available to Congress that are underutilized? Would a proper annual budget process help? Are Congress’ oversight hearings meaningful, well-run, and properly focused? Should Congress be requesting more information from agencies through other avenues? -- This panel was...

In administrative law the focus has primarily been on how to constrain executive discretion. It may, however, be equally important to consider how to constrain the delegations that create that discretion—not just by telling Congress to “do its job,” but by thinking about how to shift the incentives that members have for delegation. This panel will consider what Congress gains by delegating policym...

Does the judiciary owe Congress presumptive deference in reviewing and considering challenges to federal statutes? If so, what standards should courts impose on those making such challenges? -- The historical practice of such presumptive deference, the canon of constitutional avoidance, has been reflected in decades of judicial decisions upholding much Congressional legislation. However, some beli...

The economics profession has long proffered Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) as the best tool for making balanced and efficient governmental decisions on spending and regulation. Though some critics object to the tool, presidents from both parties for over four decades have endorsed the BCA paradigm as the preferred way to make sound regulatory decisions, and Congress is considering legislation that wo...

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new regulations for CO2 emission reductions from existing power plants. The proposal requires states to implement the Agency’s Clean Power Plan. Proponents argue that it is an essential measure to protect vital natural resources; opponents argue that it will be massively costly and logistically difficult to implement (particularly given the timefram...

The communications and technology sectors have seen an explosion of growth and innovation over the last decade, and yet the primary body of law governing these areas, The Communications Act, has not been updated since the days of dial-up internet. In 2013, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (Mich.) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (Oreg.) ann...

The theme of the Third Annual Executive Branch Review Conference, what role does and should Congress play vis-a-vis the administrative state, will be developed in a series of addresses, debates and panel discussions. Experts will discuss incentives for Congressional action and inaction, reducing delegation from Congress to the agencies through more precise statutory language, the tools of Congress...

The Federalist Society's 1st Annual Rosenkranz Discussion was held on November 22, 2008. The topic of the discussion was "How Judge Think." Hon. Michael W. McConnell, United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit Hon. Richard Posner, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit Moderator: Prof. Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Georgetown University School of Law Introduction: Mr. Eugene B. Meyer, Pre...

On February 23-24, 1996, the Federalist Society held its fifteenth annual National Student Symposium at Stanford Law School in Stanford, California. The title of the conference was "A Symposium on Justice and the Criminal Justice Process." The second day of the conference culminated in the presentation of the Paul Bator Award to Prof. Michael Paulsen. The Paul M. Bator Award was established in 198...

On March 7-8, 1986, The Federalist Society hosted its annual National Student Symposium at Stanford Law School. The topic of the conference was "The First Amendment: Constitutional Principles & Public Policy." One of the panels covered "Content-Based Discriminations and Their Distinctions Under the First Amendment." Featuring: Introduction: C. Boyden Gray, Counsel, Vice President George H. W....

On January 30-31, 1987, the Federalist Society hosted its first-ever national lawyers convention at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The first day concluded with a banquet, where the James Madison Award was presented to Attorney General Edwin Meese III. Master of Ceremonies: T. Kenneth Cribb, Presidential Advisor, Domestic Affairs Introduction: William Bradford Reynolds, Assistant Attorney G...