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2024 Midwestern Chapters Conference

June 7, 2024
Register
Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

 

REGISTRATION OPEN

Join the Lawyers Chapters across the Midwest for our annual Midwestern Chapters Conference!

Friday, June 7, 2024

Tickets

Member $100
Non-Member: $150
Student: $50

Sponsorships

If you are interested in sponsoring the Federalist Society's activity in the Midwest, please reach out to Abbie Kepto at [email protected].

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1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Registration

2024 Midwestern Chapters Conference

Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

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2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Welcome

2024 Midwestern Chapters Conference

Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

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2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Panel 1: Attacks Against the Judiciary

2024 Midwestern Chapters Conference

Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

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Description

All levels of the judiciary have faced increased attacks on their independence in recent years. Even trial court judges have faced increased scrutiny, particularly those in single-judge districts and those who have granted nationwide injunctions. “Reform” proposals such as adding justices, term limits, ethics codes, abolishing blue slips, and limiting the Court’s jurisdiction have been proposed by critics to limit the power of the courts. However, these proposals are nothing new: in decades past, when the ideological balance of the Court was different, similar proposals were floated by those who sought to limit the role and influence of the courts. What’s changed? What is the role of the organized bar, if any, in defending judicial independence? How, if at all, has the increased politicization of the judicial confirmation process affected judicial independence? What does all of this mean for trust in the judiciary? And what do members of the judiciary think about these developments, especially given the uptick in security concerns and threats to judges and court personnel and the increasingly personal attacks on judges—rather than their decisions—in the media. And are there changes that should be considered that are both constitutional and would receive bipartisan support? Should conservatives be more aggressive in defending attacks against the judiciary? Panelists from both in and outside the judiciary will discuss these and other questions in considering judicial independence and the people’s trust in the judiciary.

Featuring:

  • Hon. Rebecca Bradley, Justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
  • Hon. Stephen R. Clark, Chief Judge, United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  • Hon. Gary Feinerman, Former Judge, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • Hon. Brock Swartzle, Judge, Michigan Fourth District Court of Appeals
  • Ed Whelan, Distinguished Senior Fellow and Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center
  • Moderator: Hon. Robert Young Jr., Former Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court

Speakers

3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Panel 2: Why the Constitution is Good

2024 Midwestern Chapters Conference

Topics: Constitution
Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

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Description

Featuring:

  • Hon. Joan Larsen, Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
  • Prof. John McGinnis, George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
  • Prof. Phillip Munoz, Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Concurrent Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame
  • Moderator: Hon. John Kness, Judge, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

 

Speakers

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Reception

2024 Midwestern Chapters Conference

Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

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6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Dinner & Keynote

2024 Midwestern Chapters Conference

Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

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Speakers

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