Columbus, OH
This event is not open to the Press.
REGISTRATION CLOSED
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
Please join the Ohio Lawyer Chapters for our annual statewide conference!
Friday, April 17, 2026
Hilton Columbus Downtown
402 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215
CONFERENCE PRICING
Student Members: $30
Members: $75
Non-Members: $125
Dietary restrictions or allergies? Please notify [email protected]
CLE
This event has been approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on CLE for
4.25 General Hours
SPONSORSHIPS
If you are interested in sponsoring the Federalist Society's activity in Ohio, please reach out to [email protected].
REGISTRATION DEADLINE AND REFUNDS
Registration will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 13, 2026. This is also the deadline to receive a refund for a cancellation. No refunds will be given after the deadline has passed.
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9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Registration
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
Columbus, OH
Description
Featuring:
- Hon. Sharon L. Kennedy, Chief Justice, Ohio Supreme Court
Speakers
10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Panel 1: When States Act: Enforcement Authority and Federal Immigration Policy
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
CLE
1.25
hours
Ethics
0
hours
Columbus, OH
Description
What power do states have to influence immigration enforcement? The panel will discuss salient issues, including a state’s ability to support immigration enforcement through the exercise of its police power as well as a state’s ability to create private rights of action or to take direct action against local or Federal officials for their conduct in enforcing, or failing to enforce, immigration law. The panel will discuss current trends and timeless principles in this evolving space.
Featuring:
- Sarah Adkins, Director, Legal Access Clinic, University of Cincinnati College of Law
- Gene Hamilton, President & Co-Founder, America First Legal Foundation
- Mathura Sridharan, Solicitor General, Ohio
- Moderator: Hon. J. Philip Calabrese, Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Speakers
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Panel 2: Religious Liberty in the States: Evaluating an Ohio RFRA
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
CLE
1.25
hours
Ethics
0
hours
Columbus, OH
Description
This panel will address recent developments in the law of religious liberty and conscience protections. Discussion will focus on how state protections of these fundamental rights can differ from federal protection and will explore the movement to pass state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (“RFRAs”) and examine Ohio’s own state constitutional tradition of religious liberty and conscience protection. Panelists will ultimately address the merits of drafting and passing a RFRA for Ohio.
Featuring:
- Prof. Nathaniel Fouch, Assistant Professor, Capital University Law School
- Prof. Mark David Hall, Professor, Regent University
- Lance Kinzer, Director of Policy and Government Relations, 1st Amendment Partnership
- Hon. Adam Mathews, Ohio State Representative, District 56
- Moderator: Hon. Melena Siebert, Judge, Ohio Court of Appeals, Twelfth District
Speakers
12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Remarks from Attorney General Dave Yost
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Panel 3: America 250: Ohio’s Legacy in the American Story
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
CLE
1.25
hours
Ethics
0
hours
Columbus, OH
Description
Featuring:
- Prof. Barry Cushman, John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame School of Law
- Prof. Gerard N. Magliocca, Distinguished Professor and Lawrence A. Jegen III Professor, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
- Frank Scaturro, Vice President and Senior Counsel, Judicial Crisis Network
- Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- Moderator: Hon. Eric Murphy, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Speakers
3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Keynote Remarks
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
CLE
0.50
hours
Ethics
0
hours
Description
Featuring:
- Hon. Justin Reed Walker, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia
Speakers
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closing Reception
2026 Ohio Chapters Conference
