Federalist Society National Student Symposium to Feature Supreme Court Justice Thomas, Leading Conservative Legal Scholars Schedule
The annual Federalist Society Student Symposium, one of the nation's largest gatherings of conservative legal scholars and students, will be held at the University of Virginia School of Law and the Boar's Head Inn on Feb. 25-26.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will deliver the keynote address during the 30th annual symposium's banquet dinner at the Boar's Head Inn on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

All events at the School of Law are open to the public, but events at the Boar's Head Inn are closed to the media. Guests can register online; registration is required for meals and receptions. Virginia Bar Continuing Legal Education credit will be available to practicing attorneys who sign up for it at the registration table.
The Federalist Society's annual student symposium is sponsored by a student chapter in an American law school each year and attracts leading conservative and libertarian scholars, judges and attorneys from across the nation.
Other symposium speakers this year include Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge Debra Livingston of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge William H. Pryor Jr. of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Diane Sykes of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and John Allison, former chairman and CEO of BB&T Corporation.
UVA law professors Paul Stephan and G. Edward White and Law School Dean Paul G. Mahoney are also serving on panels, along with: Jonathan Adler (Case Western Reserve University); Michael Heller (Columbia University); Randy Barnett and Louis Michael Seidman (Georgetown University); Nelson Lund, Jeremy Rabkin, Neomi Rao and Todd Zywicki (George Mason University); Jeffrey Rosen and Renee Lettow Lerner (George Washington University); Clayton Gillette (New York University); John McGinnis (Northwestern University); William P. Marshall (University of North Carolina); and James Ely (Vanderbilt University).
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to the U.S. Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. The society seeks both to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities.
All events will be held at the Law School except where noted.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011 | |
3:30 p.m. | Registration (Caplin Auditorium Lobby) |
6:15 p.m. |
Welcome and Opening Remarks (Caplin Auditorium)
Dean Paul Mahoney, University of Virginia School of Law |
6:30 p.m. |
Debate(Caplin Auditorium)
Economic Freedoms and the Constitution Panelists: Moderator: |
8 p.m. |
PANEL I(Caplin Auditorium)
Economic Theory, Civic Virtue and the Meaning of the Constitution Panelists: Moderator: |
9:45 p.m. | Cocktail Reception(Caplin Pavilion) |
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011 | |
8 a.m. | Continental Breakfast (Withers-Brown Hall) |
9 a.m. |
PANEL II(Caplin Auditorium)
Federalism and Interstate Competition Panelists: Moderator: |
11 a.m. |
Speech(Caplin Auditorium) The U.S. Financial Crisis: Causes and Consequences John Allison, Former Chairman and CEO, BB&T Corporation Introduction by Howard Husock, Manhattan Institute Many politicians have blamed business for the current recession, leading to additional measures by the U.S. government to regulate the market. Some critics argue that the Federal Reserve's missteps in managing the monetary system created an economic bubble. That bubble pervaded the real estate market in part through relaxed lending standards promulgated by the government-sponsored enterprises Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. When the bubble inevitably deflated, the crisis spread to the general economy, resulting in high unemployment and negative or slow economic growth. But will the measures the government took to stem the crisis and regulate the market reduce economic growth in the long term? John Allison will outline the fundamental economic and philosophical solutions to these problems in his presentation. |
12:30 p.m. | Lunch (Withers-Brown Hall) |
2 p.m. |
PANEL III(Caplin Auditorium)
The Welfare State and American Exceptionalism Panelists: Moderator: |
4 p.m. |
PANEL IV(Caplin Auditorium)
Economic Uncertainty and the Role of the Courts Panelists: Moderator: |
6 p.m. | Cocktail Reception(Boar's Head Inn) |
7 p.m. |
banquet and keynote speech(Boar's Head Inn) Justice Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court |
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.
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