REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
2026 Texas Chapters Conference
Please join the Texas Lawyer Chapters for our annual statewide conference! This year will be extra special as we celebrate America 250 and Texas 150.
Friday, September 18
5:30 p.m. | Welcome Reception
7:00 p.m. | Banquet Dinner
Saturday, September 19
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Conference
6:00 p.m. | Rangers Game in Private Suite*
*Family members encouraged!
Loews Arlington Hotel
888 Nolan Ryan Expressway
Arlington, Texas, 76011
CONFERENCE PRICING
Student Member: $100
Member: $200
Non-Member: $350
All Conference tickets include a ticket to the banquet.
BANQUET
Guest Banquet: $150
Intended for plus ones of conference attendees.
Does not grant access to panel discussions.
RANGERS GAME
In Celebration of America 250 and Texas 150, join us in honoring our nation's history with America's favorite pastime-baseball! Enjoy an evening with fellow attendees in a private VIP Suite as the Texas Rangers take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend!
Adult: $50
Child: $30*
*Children under 36 inches tall enter for free, as long as they sit on an adult's lap.
Not included in conference tickets.
CLE
CLE credit in Texas is expected.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
Rooms can be reserved at the Loews Arlington Hotel with the FedSoc room rate of $259 per night plus tax.
CLICK HERE to reserve a room online.
The hotel cutoff date is Monday, August 31.
Rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis.
ANNUAL SUPPORT & TABLES
For those interested in supporting FedSoc's Texas student activities in 2026, our Gold and Silver support levels offer exclusive recognition and reserved tables at the Chapters Conference. Please email cody.laliberte@fed-soc.org for details on annual support, as well as single table purchases.
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5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Banquet Dinner & Gregory S. Coleman Memorial Lecture
8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Registration & Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Breakfast Discussion: Rekindling the Revolutionary Spirit of 1776
Arlington, TX
Description
Featuring:
- Hon. Sean Jordan, Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- Michael Berry, Executive Director of External Affairs & Senior Counsel, First Liberty Institute
9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Arlington, TX
Description
Featuring:
- Hon. Brantley Starr, Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Panel I: From Complaint to Canon: Litigating Constitutional Cases
Arlington, TX
Description
Constitutional law is made in the course of litigated cases. This panel brings together academics and experienced advocates to examine how constitutional cases are framed, argued, and decided in federal and state courts—from threshold questions and record-building to briefing, argument and remedy. The discussion will focus on the practical judgments that shape outcomes and, in turn, the development of constitutional doctrine.
Featuring:
- Prof. John Greil, Clinical Professor, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
- Allyson Ho, Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- Arif Panju, Managing Attorney of the Texas Office, Institute for Justice
- Will Thompson, Partner, Lehotsky Cohn LLP
- Moderator: Hon. Charles Eskridge, Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Luncheon and Panel II: 150 Years Later: The Texas Supreme Court at a Milestone
Arlington, TX
Description
2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the Texas Constitution of 1876—the document that has anchored Texas law, and the Texas Supreme Court's role within it, for a century and a half. In honor of this milestone, join a distinguished panel of current and former Justices of the Texas Supreme Court for a candid conversation spanning decades on the state's highest civil court. Drawing on their combined years of service, the Justices will share firsthand perspectives, discuss how the Court’s jurisprudence and procedure have evolved, and look ahead to what the Court's next 150 years may hold. This conversation offers a rare, unscripted look at the Court through the eyes of the people who've sat on the bench.
1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Panel III: Executive War Powers in the Modern Era: Domestic and International Dimensions
Arlington, TX
Description
The modern era of Executive War Powers has seen the Iran offensive, the end of the War in Afghanistan, and support for the nation of Israel in its war against terror. How have the last few presidents used their authority under the executive defensive authority? At the same time, increased conflict between state and federal authorities, particularly in Texas, has led to clashes between the governor and the president. How has the tension between state and federal authority influenced the exercise of domestic executive powers? The country has seen military deployed in immigration contexts and to settle unrest in various areas when a governor is unwilling or unable to quell the violence. Where does the authority to take these actions come from? The panel will discuss these and other questions related to the international and domestic exercise of military force.
Featuring:
- Trevor Ezell, General Counsel, Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott
- Hon. T. Elliot Gaiser, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice
- Prof. John Yoo, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Senior Research Fellow, School of Civic Leadership, Civitas Institute, University of Texas at Austin; Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
- Moderator: Hon. Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Closing Remarks
6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Rangers Game - Suite