University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class
Upcoming Symposium
A Powerful Electorate?:
The Impact of Election Law on American Democracy
October 16, 2008
University of Maryland School of Law
500 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
"Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual)."
-- Ayn Rand
On October 16, 2008, the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class is pleased to host its Fall symposium entitled "A Powerful Electorate?: The Impact of Election Law on American Democracy." The event will focus on how American laws have provided for or failed to adequately address the rights of American citizens to participate in the political process. Special attention will be given to recent Supreme Court decisions pertaining to voting rights, Crawford v. Marion County School Board and Riley v. Kennedy. The symposium will also feature a discussion on the potential for legal reform of election laws in Maryland and the United States. Please join us in addressing these important issues prior to the 2008 election.
8:30am-9:30am: | Registration and Continental Breakfast
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| 9:30am-9:45am: |
Welcome and Introductions
Welcome
Katie Burgess
Editor-in-Chief
University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class
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| 9:45am -10:45am: |
| Discussion: The Tax Exempt Status of Religious Organizations: How Political is too Political? |
Keith Blair
Assistant Professor of Law
University of Baltimore Law School |
Gregory Randall Lee
Professor of Law
Widener University of Law |
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Moderator
Mark Graber
Professor of Government and Politics
University of Maryland, College Park
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10:50am-11:20am: | The Predicted Impact of the Obama Candidacy on the Voting Rights Act
Janai Nelson
Assistant Professor of Law
St. John’s University School of Law |
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11:25am-11:50am: | Gender and Constitutional Design
Paula Monopoli
Marbury Research Professor of Law
University of Maryland School of Law
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12:00pm-1:30pm: | Lunch and Keynote Speaker Kristen Clarke
Co-Director, Political Participation Project
NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc.
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1:30pm-2:45pm: |
Panel Discussion: Identifying the Problems of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board
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Jocelyn Benson
Assistant Professor of Law
Wayne State University School of Law
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Nathaniel Persily
Professor of Law
Columbia University School of Law
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Jonah Goldman
Adjunct Professor of Law;
Georgetown University School of Law
Director, National Campaign for Fair Elections,
The Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
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Michael Pitts
Associate Professor of Law
Dean’s Fellow
Indiana University School of Law
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Moderator
Richard Boldt
Professor of Law
University of Maryland School of Law
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| 2:45pm - 3:00pm: | Break |
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3:00pm - 4:15pm: |
Panel Discussion: Strategies for Legal Reform of Election Law |
David Becker
Project Director, Making Voting Work Initiative
The Pew Charitable Trusts |
Delegate Jon Cardin
Maryland House of Delegates |
Sherilyn Ifill
Professor of Law
University of Maryland School of Law |
Delegate Sandy Rosenberg
Maryland House of Delegates |
Moderator Katherine Dachille
Associate Professor of Law
University of Maryland School of Law |
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4:15pm-4:30pm: | Closing Remarks
Dean Karen Rothenberg
Dean and Marjorie Cook Professor of Law
University of Maryland School of Law
Christine Duggan
Executive Symposium Editor
University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class
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For more information, please contact our Executive Symposium Director .