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Why Florida Copied Its ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill From Hungary & What It Means for Democracy in the United States
Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
On the eve of mid-term elections in which polls find large majorities of Americans worried about the future of U.S. democracy, scholars and journalists are tracking growing interest here in the successful path of autocratic leaders abroad. Do once-democratic countries like Hungary offer American populists a meaningful roadmap for reforming the structures of U.S. democratic governance and constitutional law?
Moderator: Deborah Pearlstein, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
Panelists:
- Zack Beauchamp, Senior Correspondent, Vox
- Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University
- Michel Rosenfeld, Professor of Law and Comparative Democracy, Justice Sydney L. Robins Professor of Human Rights, Director of the Program on Global and Comparative Constitutional Theory, Cardozo Law
- Dmytro Vovk, Visiting Professor, Cardozo Law
Click here to view the event invitation.
Click here to view the flyer.
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Supreme Court 2021-22 Annual Term Preview
Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
Professors Michael Pollack, Kate Shaw, and Ekow Yankah will discuss important upcoming cases involving the Second Amendment, abortion access and affirmative action, among other topics; discuss decision-making dynamics; and consider the future of the Court.
Professor Yankah discussed criminal law and criminal procedure cases:
- Wooden v. U.S. (ACCA case)
- United States v. Taylor
- Thompson v. Clark
- United States v. Tsarnaev
Professor Pollack discussed:
- Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany v. Lacewell (in brief, not on the merits docket yet)
- Ramirez v. Collier (RLUIPA)
- American Hospital Assn. v. Becerra (Chevron doctrine)
Professor Shaw discussed:
- The fact that for the first time, we now have real-time live audio of case arguments on the Supreme Court website (water rights cases can be weirdly interesting)
- Cases challenging SB 8 (Texas law) (5-4 unsigned SCOTUS decision; United States v. Texas; private party suits against Alan Braid – Center for Reproductive Rights filed an interpleader action)
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org. (Mississippi case)
- Cameron v. EMW Women’s Surgical Center (ostensibly procedural Kentucky abortion case that may signal how the later cases will be decided)
- New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. Bruen (2nd Amendment case)
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Understanding and Interpreting Affirmative Rights: The U.S. Constitution and Beyond
Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
This panel will focus on outside sources, such as state and foreign constitutions, in comparison with the US Constitution. Panelists will discuss the history of these documents as well as ethical and moral philosophy to articulate new visions and avenues of accessing affirmative rights in the US.
Moderator:
- Michael Pollack, Associate Professor of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Panelists:
- Michel Rosenfeld, University Professor of Law and Comparative Democracy and Justice Sydney L. Robins Professor of Human Rights, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
- Emily Zackin, Assistant Professor, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences at Johns Hopkins University
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Sources of Affirmative Rights
Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
Americans look to the U.S. Constitution as the source of all rights, but the document only affirms negative rights. Panelists will discuss specific areas of rights deemed “fundamental” by society and the international community, and how the US Constitution’s negative framing intersects with such societal needs.
Moderator:
- Alexander A. Reinert, Max Freund Professor of Litigation & Advocacy, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Panelists:
- Smita Narula, Haub Distinguished Professor of International Law, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
- Cynthia Soohoo, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic (formerly named International Women’s Human Rights Clinic) at the City of New York School of Law
- Eric Tars, Legal Director, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
- Joshua Weishart, Professor of Law and Policy, West Virginia University, joint appointment in the College of Law and the John D. Rockefeller IV School of Policy and Politics
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Environmental Affirmative Rights in the 21st Century
Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
While the Framers wrote the Constitution to avoid government overreach, it is fairly certain they did not anticipate climate change and its drastic effects on living conditions. As such, this panel will discuss the different circumstances in which advocates and scholars have argued for mandated government protection of the environment.
Moderator:
- Michael Herz, Arthur Kaplan Professor of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Panelists:
- Martha Davis, Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Professor of Law, Northeastern University School of Law
- James R. May, Distinguished Professor of Law, Widener University Delaware Law School
- Erin Ryan, Elizabeth C. and Clyde W. Atkinson Professor of Law, Florida State University
- Christopher Serkin, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Vanderbilt Law School
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Election 2020: The Challenge, The Law, and the Path Ahead
Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
Join us in hearing from a panel of nationally known election law experts about the latest developments in a busy season of election litigation and the many challenges surrounding the 2020 vote.
Moderators:
- Michelle Adams, Professor of Law and Co-Director, Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School
- Deborah N. Pearlstein, Professor of Law and Co-Director, Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School
Panelists:
- Rick Hasen, Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science, University of California, Irvine
- Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
- Daniel Tokaji, Fred W. & Vi Miller Dean and Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin Law School
