Presented by Catholic Law’s Bench and Bar Programs/First Amendment Initiatives
The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
November 15, 2023
The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) will host a fall symposium on free speech and civility in legal education and practice, an event especially timely in light of growing difficulties engaging in civil dialogue in the academy and the culture at large. The planned event is part of our First Amendment Initiatives here at Catholic Law.
While we recognize that this issue is important for the academy (and society) in general, law school may be one of the best contexts in which to discuss these developments because of its unique role as a training ground for those who will engage professionally in rational discussion of adverse positions. This is not a partisan matter, as those on both the right and left have acknowledged the corrosive impact the current phenomenon is having, and will have, on the profession. Thus, speakers with a broad array of viewpoints have been asked to participate in the symposium.
While we recognize that this issue is important for the academy (and society) in general, law school may be one of the best contexts in which to discuss these developments because of its unique role as a training ground for those who will engage professionally in rational discussion of adverse positions. This is not a partisan matter, as those on both the right and left have acknowledged the corrosive impact the current phenomenon is having, and will have, on the profession. Thus, speakers with a broad array of viewpoints have been asked to participate in the symposium.
To view a recording of the symposium on Cathollic Law's YouTube channel, click here.
When and Where:
The Symposium was held at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in the Walter A. Slowinski Courtroom on November 15, 2023.
Speakers
Dean Mark Alexander
Villanova Law School, President of American Association of Law Schools
Professor Elizabeth Bartholet
Professor Elizabeth Bartholet
Harvard Law School
Lisa Blatt, Esq.
Chair of Williams & Connolly’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice
Paul D. Clement, Esq.
43rd Solicitor General of the United States
Robert Destro
Professor of Law, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
Professor of Law, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
The Honorable Kyle Duncan
Fifth Circuit of Appeals
Deborah Enix-Ross, Esq.
President, American Bar Association
Professor Tom Ginsburg
University of Chicago Law School
Professor Randall Kennedy
The Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Jennie Bradley Lichter, Esq.
Jennie Bradley Lichter, Esq.
Deputy General Counsel, The Catholic University of America
Greg Lukianoff, Esq.
Greg Lukianoff, Esq.
President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
Ilya Shapiro, Esq.
Manhattan Institute
Shaun M. Snyder, Esq.
President-Elect DC Bar
Professor Nadine Strossen
Professor Nadine Strossen
The John Marshall Harlan II Professor, New York Law School
Dr. Keith E. Whittington
William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, Princeton University
Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman
The University of Pennsylvania
(Click here to view the speaker bios.)
Program
- 8:00 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast - 8:40 a.m.
Welcome
Prof. A.G. Harmon, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
Dean Stephen Payne, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
Causes
- 8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Greg Lukianoff, FIRE: Cultural Changes in Society
Jonathan Zimmerman, University of Pennsylvania: Institutional Changes in Society and Universities
Discussion - Coffee Break
- 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Jennie Bradley Lichter, Esq., Deputy General Counsel, The Catholic University of America
Prof. Elizabeth Bartholet, Harvard Law School: Feminism and Free Speech
Prof. Randall Kennedy, Harvard Law School: Free Speech and Race
Prof. Keith Whittington, Princeton University: Academic Freedom and Free Speech
Discussion
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Deborah Enix-Ross, Esq., Immediate Past President, American Bar Association
Civility and Law Schools and the Effect on the Legal Profession
- 12:35 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
Panel Discussion # 1: Free Speech and Civility in Law Schools
Moderator: Prof. Marshall J. Breger, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
Prof. Nadine Strossen, New York Law School
Ilya Shapiro, Esq., Manhattan Institute
Prof. Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago Law School
Discussion
- 2:05 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion # 2: Free Speech and Civility in the Legal Profession
Moderator: Shaun M. Snyder, Esq., President-Elect D.C. Bar
Lisa Blatt, Esq., Williams & Connolly
Paul Clement, Esq., Clement & Murphy
Hon. Kyle Duncan, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Discussion
Closing Remarks
- 3:20 p.m.
Dean Mark Alexander, Villanova Law School, AALS President - 4:00 p.m.
Conference Conclusion: Prof. Marshall J. Breger
The general outline of the program will be to examine the sociological, philosophical, and other cultural causes of the current challenge to the idea of a liberal education; the effects the current challenge is having, or may have in the future, on legal education and the legal profession (such as self-censorship, loss of academic position, clients who cannot find representation, etc.); and the range of potential solutions.