Speakers: The Honorable Christine M. Durham, Justice, Supreme Court of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah
Ann Laquer Estin, University of Iowa
The Honorable Thelton E. Henderson, Judge, U.S. District Court, San Francisco, California
Vicki C. Jackson, Georgetown University
Larry D. Kramer, New York University
Judith Resnik, Yale Law School
Daniel B. Rodriguez, University of San Diego
Reva B. Siegel, Yale Law School
Discussants: Naomi R. Cahn, The George Washington University
David B. Cruz, University of Southern California
Andrew Koppelman, Northwestern University
Sylvia Ann Law, New York University
Robert J. Pushaw, Jr., University of Missouri-Columbia
Jana B. Singer, University of Maryland
Mark Strasser, Capital University
The developments, both statutory and constitutional, of the last half dozen years make appropriate the coming together of professors from these three sections to discuss issues of shared intellectual and doctrinal concern. Several legislative initiatives and judicial rulings have raised questions about the boundaries of state and federal authority to deal with a range of problems, including violence against women, criminal law, and the definitions of and import of family membership. The constitutional provisions implicated range from the Commerce and Full Faith and Credit Clauses to treaty powers, spending powers, preemption and supremacy, and the Tenth, Eleventh, and Fourteenth Amendments. National legislative initiatives to be discussed include the Violence Against Women Act, the Defense of Marriage Act, provisions aimed at increasing child support and at welfare, and the application of anti-arson statutes to the burning of religious buildings. Because of increased transnational activity and ease of travel across state lines, the relevance of international conventions to the United States and the effects of state and federal legislation outside U.S. boundaries will also be considered.
The first half of the program will be devoted to discussion from a range of panelists, including law professors and judges, exchanging views. Thereafter, participants will join group discussions (comprised of professors from each of the three sections) and will continue the exchange. Such groups may center their discussion on particular issues (such as federal tort law, ERISA, DOMA, child support legislation) or on particular provisions of the Constitution (Commerce, Spending, etc.) or on specific cases (Troxel, Morrison, Lopez, Prinz, Alden, etc.) as the group determines. Pre-registration via e-mail, list serves, and selection of topic will ensure a lively and focused discussion.