Dahlia Lithwick, a senior editor and legal correspondent at Slate, will deliver the keynote address at the 2019 American Constitution Society for Law and Policy Student Convention, which will be held Feb. 22-23 at the University of Virginia School of Law.

In addition to Lithwick, featured speakers include J. Richard Cohen ’79, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Khizr Khan, a local attorney and Gold Star parent. Cyrus Habib, the lieutenant governor of Washington, will speak at Friday’s dinner at the Darden Abbott Center Dining Room. Dean Risa Goluboff and Vice Dean Leslie Kendrick ’06 are also slated to give remarks.

Lithwick will discuss the importance of who serves on the courts and why progressives may be interested in following the judiciary closely.

The American Constitution Society is “the nation’s leading progressive legal organization,” according to the group’s website, with more than 200 student and lawyer chapters in almost every state and on most law school campuses, including at the University of Virginia School of Law. Originally formed as the progressive response after the Supreme Court’s Bush v. Gore decision, ACS was founded on the principle that the law should be a force to improve the lives of all people.

The annual event attracts law students from across the nation. Registration is required to attend.

Schedule

Friday, Feb. 22

2:30 p.m.

Registration

Caplin Auditorium Atrium


3 p.m.

Executive Session

Caplin Auditorium

  • J. Richard Cohen ’79, President, Southern Poverty Law Center
  • Leslie Kendrick ’06, Vice Dean, David H. Ibbeken ’71 Research Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law

4:30 p.m.

Opening Leadership Sessions

WB101, WB102, WB103, WB104


5:30 p.m.

Kickoff Remarks

Caplin Auditorium

  • Risa Goluboff, Dean, Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law, Professor of History, University of Virginia School of Law
  • Introduction: William Tucker ’20

6 p.m.

The State of ACS

  • Zinelle October, Vice President of Network Advancement, American Constitution Society

6:15 p.m.

Fireside Chat on Declining Comparative Democracy

  • Caroline Fredrickson, President, American Constitution Society
  • Vincent Michelot, Professor of American Politics, Sciences Po Lyon; Visiting Professor, Department of French, University of Virginia
  • Introduction: Marissa Ditkowsky, American University Washington College of Law

7 p.m.

Welcome Reception

Darden Atrium


7:30 p.m.

Dinner

Darden Abbott Center Dining Room

  • Cyrus Habib, Lieutenant Governor, State of Washington
  • Introduction: Naomi Martin, University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Saturday, Feb. 23

8 a.m.

Breakfast and Discussion on Mindfulness in the Law

Caplin Auditorium Atrium

  • Susanna Williams, Mindfulness Center, University of Virginia

9 a.m.

Panel 1 | Beyond Litigation: Being a Progressive Attorney in a Complex Battleground

Caplin Auditorium

  • Garrett Epps, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law
  • Andrew Hairston, Staff Attorney, Advancement Project
  • Micah Schwartzman ’05, Joseph W. Dorn Research Professor of Law; Director, Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, University of Virginia School of Law
  • Amy Woolard ’08, Attorney and Policy Coordinator, Legal Aid Justice Center
  • Moderator: Jeryl Hayes, Movement Building Director, If/When/How
  • Introduction: Peter S. Gonzales, Notre Dame Law School

10:30 a.m.

Breakout Discussions

Breakout Discussion A | Advancing Progressive Goals Through Scholarship
WB101

  • Debra Perlin, Director of Policy and Program, American Constitution Society
  • Micah Schwartzman ’05, Joseph W. Dorn Research Professor of Law; Director, Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, University of Virginia School of Law

Breakout Discussion B | Progress and Equity in Media
WB102

  • Garrett Epps, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law
  • Peggy Li, Associate Director of Chapters, American Constitution Society

Breakout Discussion C | Community Organizing and Movement Lawyering
WB103

  • Andrew Hairston, Staff Attorney, Advancement Project
  • Jennifer Kwon, Attorney, Immigrant Advocacy Program, Legal Aid Justice Center

Breakout Discussion D | Legislative Advocacy
WB104

  • Ashna Khanna, Legislative Director, ACLU of Virginia
  • Amy Woolard ’08, Attorney and Policy Coordinator, Legal Aid Justice Center

Noon

Lunch

Scott Commons


1 p.m.

Keynote Remarks

Caplin Auditorium

  • Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Editor and Legal Correspondent, Slate
  • Introduction: Traci Buschner, Founding Partner, Guttman Buschner & Brooks

1:45 p.m.

Caplin Auditorium

Panel 2 | Progressive Federalism: Advocacy and Strategy on the State and Local Level

  • Sylvia Albert, All Voting is Local
  • Kami Chavis, Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University School of Law
  • Trevor Cox, Counsel, Hunton Andrews Kurth
  • Ryan Park, Deputy Solicitor General, State of North Carolina
  • Galina Varchena, Policy and Communications Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia
  • Moderator: Richard Schragger, Perre Bowen Professor of Law, Joseph C. Carter Jr. Research Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
  • Introduction: Cameron Crump, North Carolina Central University School of Law

3:15 p.m.

Breakout Discussions

Breakout Discussion ​A | Rethinking Community Policing and Police Accountability
WB101

  • Kami Chavis, Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University School of Law

Breakout Discussion B | Advancing Voting Rights Protections through State Constitutions and Legislation
WB102

  • Sylvia Albert, All Voting is Local
  • Bobby Hoffman, Advocacy and Policy Counsel, Voting Rights, ACLU

Breakout Discussion C | Protecting and Advancing ​Reproductive Freedom
WB103

  • Margie Del Castillo, Director of Field and Advocacy, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
  • Jeryl Hayes, Movement Building Director, If/When/How
  • Galina Varchena, Policy and Communications Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia

Breakout Discussion D | Working at State A​ttorney General’s Offices
WB104

  • Loren L. AliKhan, Solicitor General, District of Columbia
  • Trevor Cox, Counsel, Hunton Andrews Kurth
  • Ryan Park, Deputy Solicitor General, State of North Carolina

4:30 p.m.

Panel 3 | Thinking Ahead: The Judiciary

Caplin Auditorium

  • Associate Justice Anita Earls, North Carolina Supreme Court
  • Judge Pamela Harris, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • Judge Carlton Reeves ’89, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi
  • Judge L. Felipe Restrepo, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
  • Moderator: Caroline Fredrickson, President, American Constitution Society
  • Introduction: James Mayer, New York University School of Law

6 p.m.

Caplin Auditorium

Closing Keynote Remarks

  • Khizr Khan, Attorney at Law, KM Khan Law Office
  • Introduction: Ava Gerami ’20

6:30 p.m.

Closing Reception

Caplin Pavilion

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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