The electoral and political process is directly affected by the rules that govern it. Good rules cannot themselves make a successful democracy, but bad rules can endanger even the best democracy. Because the legislators who make the rules have a direct interest in the outcomes affected by those rules, a clear public understanding of the electoral process and its regulation is an important element of self-governance. This symposium will consider the following aspects of the political and electoral process that can have a large impact on the operation of our democratic system.

• Campaign Finance Laws and the Constitution
• Voting Rights, Equality, and Racial Gerrymandering
• The Role of Government Regulation in the Political Process
• The Revitalization of Democracy

1. Campaign Finance Laws and the Constitution

This panel will consider Buckley and attacks on it from those who think it goes too far and from those who think it does not go far enough. It will also consider advertising controls on independent expenditures.
2. Voting Rights, Equality, and Racial Gerrymandering

Is proportional representation by race the way to assure full voting rights and equality or do such efforts expand claims of political equality to a point where they dominate all election law. If they do is that good or bad?
3. The Role of Government regulation in the political process.

This panel would explore the question of whether political parties are public or private. To what extent do public sector rules apply to these parties--concerning issues pertaining to gays, sex, race, etc. It would also consider to what degree government can and should use financial inducements to accomplish its wishes concerning the process--eg. Negative advertising, free air time, spending limits for candidates.
4. Roundtable on Revitalizing Democracy

There is increasing skepticism about democracy compared with a few years ago. More often now regulation comes through the courts and the executive rather than the legislature. Is this a problem? The roundtable may also consider questions concerning the advantages and disadvantages of what might be termed a Federalist Papers model of democracy vs. a British model or some other more purely democratic model.

This conference is made possible in part by the generous support of the Holman Supporting Foundation and the Harvard Law School. Richard M. DeVos Student Leader Scholarships are generously provided by the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation. We would also like to thank Cooper Carvin & Rosenthal and Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP for helping make this conference possible.

The schedule of distinguished speakers includes:
Prof. Ahkil Amar, Yale Law School
Mr. Jan Baran, Wiley, Rein and Fielding
Prof. Lillian BeVier, University of Virginia Law School
Prof. Richard Epstein, University of Chicago Law School
Prof. Charles Fried, Harvard Law School
Prof. Lino Graglia, University of Texas Law School
Prof. Randall Kennedy, Harvard Law School
Hon. Alex Kozinski, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Prof. John Lott, Yale Law School
Prof. Michael McConnell, Utah Law School
Prof. Jonathan Macey, Cornell Law School
Prof. Frank Michelman, Harvard Law School
Prof. Eugene Volokh, UCLA Law School
Hon. Ralph Winter, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Prof. Derek Bok, Harvard University
Prof. Stephen Calabresi, Northwestern Univ. School of Law
Prof. Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School
Prof. Samuel Issakaroff, Columbia Law School
Prof. Rick Pildes, Univ. of Michigan Law School

Feel free to direct questions to:
 
Nicole Jo Moss, HLS Chapter President and Chairman
 
Erin Joyce, Co-Chairman
 
The Federalist Society
1015 18th Street NW Suite 425
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 822-8138
(202) 296-8061 (fax)
http://www.fed-soc.org/

Harvard Law School is located in Cambridge, just across the Charles river from downtown Boston. Direct flights into Boston arrive at Logan airport. Cabs from Logan to Harvard cost approximately $25.00. Logan is also easily accessible to public transportation. The T (Boston's Subway) can be taken to Harvard Square for $.85. Individuals and chapter groups should arrange their own travel. Partial (50%) travel scholarships are available for student members (non-member students may join for $5); receipts must be submitted to the Society's headquarters in Washington prior to reimbursement. On a limited basis local area students will provide housing. In addition, we have arranged a special hotel rate of $170 (single) or $190 (double) per night at the Sheraton Commander Hotel, located directly across Cambridge Common from the law school. For reservations, contact the hotel directly at (617) 574-4800.
A $25 per student, per night lodging stipend is available to help defray the cost of hotel lodging. Please submit all receipts to Federalist Society Headquarters for reimbursement.

Registration will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 3, with an open-forum meeting to follow at 4 p.m. to discuss the direction of the Society and organizational and leadership issues concerning the various law school chapters. The Symposium will formally begin at 7 p.m. with welcoming remarks and the first panel discussion. The Beckett Fund will be hosting a cocktail reception immediately following the opening night panel. Panels and debates will be held throughout the day on Saturday, concluding with a reception and banquet at Suffolk University in downtown Boston. A complete schedule will be sent to all registrants.

Except for the Saturday evening reception and banquet, all Symposium events will be held at the Law School, located at 1563 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.

Last updated on 12/11/1999