FedSoc Events

To what extent can the legal community engage in social media: a critical means to connect and network in the 21st century? To what degree are judges held to higher standards when posting, liking, and retweeting what may be controversial content? In this day and age, when much of America gets its news from social media, the legal community can ill afford to disengage. Justice Don Willett of the Te...

We live in a system where regulators make the rules, investigate alleged violations of the rules, and then adjudicate those violations before Administrative Law Judges. If the matter ever gets to court, courts generally defer to the agency on questions of law “and fact.” As a result, agencies know that their regulations are unlikely to face challenge and, if they are challenged, will l...

Over the past several decades, the workload of federal district courts has changed significantly. On the civil side, perhaps as litigants seek to avoid the expense of elaborate discovery and prolonged motions practice and trials, more and more cases are resolved through alternative dispute resolution. On the criminal side, more and more cases are resolved through plea bargaining. The result is few...

In 2014, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) sued Harvard University, alleging that Harvard was violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by, among other things, discriminating against Asian Americans in the admissions process. In its recent motion for summary judgment, SFFA presented statistical evidence that Harvard discriminates both in subjective scoring and selection for admission to limit t...

The Trump administration has emphasized the importance of ensuring existing regulations are not stifling innovation or foreclosing economic opportunities. Earlier this year, under Chairman Ajit Pai’s leadership, the FCC modified several of its internal processes to further promote transparency and public engagement. The FCC has also continued on a path of eliminating outdated regulations. Du...

It is difficult to find anyone today who is satisfied with how CRA currently works. Its clear and terse statutory purpose is to assess a bank’s record of meeting the credit needs of its entire community. Subsequent regulation and enforcement practices have expanded Community Reinvestment Act requirements and layered on significant compliance obligations, beyond a view of lending, while narro...

Many federal government decisions that affect Americans’ day-to-day lives are made by agencies. Agency decisions, therefore, should maximize net benefits to society. For over 37 years, every president has directed executive agencies to do that through a cost-benefit decisional rule. However, regulatory agencies have sometimes interpreted their authorizing statutes to limit or prohibit this a...

The Black’s Law Dictionary defines Plea Bargaining as: “[t]he process whereby the accused and the prosecutor in a criminal case work out a mutually satisfactory disposition of the case subject to court approval. It usually involves the defendant’s pleading guilty to a lesser offense or to only one or some of the counts of a multi-count indictment in return for a lighter sentence...

The Supreme Court’s decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission was unexpectedly based on religious free exercise (rather than free speech) and the evidence of bias in the proceedings of the state commission. This panel will explore the opinions in Masterpiece Cakeshop and the implications of the case for the First Amendment’s religion and speech guarantees. Am...

American trade policy has been the subject of much interest and media attention over the last two years. The Constitution grants the legislative branch full authority over trade policy, including the power to impose and collect taxes, duties, tariffs, and to regulate international commerce. By contrast, the Constitution gives the President authority to negotiate international agreements and it ass...

On October 29, 2018, the Federalist Society's Kentucky lawyers chapters hosted the second annual Kentucky Chapters Conference. The third panel discussed "Judicial Selection in Kentucky." Meryl Justin Chertoff - Executive Director, Justice and Society Program, The Aspen Institute Prof. Brian T. Fitzpatrick - Vanderbilt University School of Law Chad Meredith - Deputy General Counsel, Governor Matt B...

On October 29, 2018, the Federalist Society's Kentucky lawyers chapters hosted the second annual Kentucky Chapters Conference. The first panel covered "Criminal Justice Trends and Potential Reform." Featuring: Daniel Jay Cameron, Frost Brown Todd LLC; Spokesman, Kentucky Smart on Crime Hon. Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Hon. Lou Anna Red Corn, F...

On October 29, 2018, the Federalist Society's Kentucky lawyers chapters hosted the second annual Kentucky Chapters Conference. Sen. Mitch McConnell offered the keynote address on the role of judges, the Senate's power of advice and consent, and the process of Supreme Court confirmations. Featuring: Hon. Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader, United States Senate

On October 29, 2018, the Federalist Society's Kentucky lawyers chapters hosted the second annual Kentucky Chapters Conference. The second panel discussed various aspects of the Kentucky Constitution. Joseph A. Bilby - General Counsel, Kentucky Department of Agriculture Matthew Kuhn - Deputy General Counsel, Governor Matt Bevin Eric Lycan - Dinsmore & Shohl LLP Moderator: Hon. Allison Ball - St...

On October 19, 2018, the Federalist Society's Pennsylvania chapters hosted the 2018 Pennsylvania Chapters Conference in Philadelphia. The luncheon address by Hon. Jeffrey Sutton of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals covered the role of state constitutions and state courts in formulating American constitutional law. Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton - U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit Introduction: Matthew...

On October 19, 2018, the Federalist Society's Pennsylvania chapters hosted the 2018 Pennsylvania Chapters Conference in Philadelphia. The first panel discussed their different approaches to constitutional and statutory interpretation. Hon. Anne E. Covey, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Prof. Michael Moreland, University Professor of Law and Religion, Villanova University, Charles Widger School of...

On October 19, 2018, the Federalist Society's Pennsylvania chapters hosted the 2018 Pennsylvania Chapters Conference in Philadelphia. The second panel covered a wide array of cases in the Pennsylvania appellate courts. Hon. P. Kevin Brobson, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania Hon. Victor P. Stabile, Superior Court of Pennsylvania Moderator: Linda A. Kerns, Law offices of Linda A. Kerns, LLC Introd...

On October 19, 2018, the Federalist Society's Pennsylvania chapters hosted the 2018 Pennsylvania Chapters Conference in Philadelphia. The opening address by Hon. Ronald Castille covered the interplay between state and federal courts. Hon. Ronald D. Castille, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (1994-2014); Chief Justice (2008-2014) Introduction: Greg Teufel, Founder, OGC Law and President, Pittsburgh La...

In the past few years, a series of lawsuits have been filed by cities and states against oil and gas companies, seeking to hold these companies liable for the effects of climate change. Join us for an engaging, expert panel discussion on these lawsuits, their background, the legal theories underlying them, and recent developments in some of the jurisdictions where they have been filed. Speakers: P...

On October 3, 2018, the Federalist Society's student chapter at George Mason's Antonin Scalia Law School and the Pacific Legal Foundation co-hosted an event on Knick v. Township of Scott, Pennsylvania. Featuring: David Breemer, Pacific Legal Foundation Prof. Ilya Somin, Antonin Scalia Law School Lisa Soronen, State and Local Legal Center Introductions: Christina Martin, Pacific Legal Foundation As...

On October 3, 2018, the Federalist Society's Colorado Lawyers Chapter co-hosted a forum with the American Constitution Society. Two candidates for the position of Colorado Attorney General discussed their thoughts on the role of state attorneys general. Featuring: Phil Weiser, Professor & Former Dean, University of Colorado Law School George Brauchler, District Attorney for the 18th Judicial D...

On September 28, 2018, the Las Vegas Lawyers Chapter hosted a luncheon forum featuring two Nevada Supreme Court candidates. Featuring: Hon. Elissa Cadish, Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, Nevada Hon. Jerry Tao, Nevada Court of Appeals, Department 1 Moderator: Hon. Mark Hutchison, Lieutenant Governor, State of Nevada Introduction: Matthew Saltzman, Shareholder, Kolesar & Leatham

The Constitution did not create a direct democracy; it established a constitutional republic. Its goal was to preserve individual liberty. To this end, the Framers provided that the power of various political actors would derive from different sources. One example from the Founders’ original design was the election of U.S. Senators by state legislators. However in 1913 the Seventeenth Amendm...