2024 Midyear Meeting

Friday, February 2

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Constitutional Policing: The Case for and against Qualified Immunity CLE

Qualified Immunity is one of the most important and controversial topics of discussion on modern policing and government. Protection from the fear of frivolous legal action is viewed as a necessity for many in the police and municipal community, but where does that protection turn into a way to avoid consequences for abuse? This panel of experts will discuss the current state of Qualified Immunity and possible future steps needed to protect Constitutional rights guaranteed to anyone who encounters the police.

Moderator: Cynthia Swann, MD, JD, Chief of Staff, Hip Hop Caucus, Washington, DC

Panelists:

• Michael Hardy, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Esq.; Editor, Constitutional Policing: Striving for a More Perfect Union
• Ronald A. Norwood, Member, Lewis Rice, St. Louis, MO.
• Wylie Stecklow, Wylie Stecklow PLLC, adjunct Professor, Fordham Law School; 2021 Sarah T. Hughes Civil Rights Award honoree; past President, Southern District of New York Chapter of the Federal Bar Association; former Chair, FBA National Civil Rights Law Section, New York, NY
• Juan R. Thomas, Of Counsel, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.; founder and principal of The Thomas Law Group, Former Chair, Civil Rights and Social Justice, Aurora, IL

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Stepping Up, Lawyers Defending Democracy CLE

Democracy is not a partisan issue. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent this program is for you. Our democracy is in peril and right now it requires all of us to step up to ensure our democracy today and for generations to come. Join us to learn the many ways available to lawyers to defend democracy. Our discussion will start with a presentation on threats to democracy and election officials by David Becker, Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, and a member of the ABA's Task Force for American Democracy. A discussion of the myriad of opportunities for lawyers to defend democracy will follow, including: opportunities to provide pro bono assistance to election workers who have been the victim of threats, harassment, and other egregious actions; engage and educate their local communities about how the election process really works; serve as poll workers; and general civic engagement and public service opportunities. 

Moderator: Elizabeth M. Yang, President, WStrong LLC, Reston, VA

Panelists:

• David Becker, Executive Director and Founder, Center for Election Innovation & Research, Washington, DC
• Jose Castro, Associate, Spencer Fane, Denver, CO
• Jason Kaune, Head Political Law Practice, Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni LLP, San Rafael, CA
• Angie Pitha, Project Lead, Election Official Legal Defense Network, Denver, CO
• Cynthia Swann, MD, JD, Chief of Staff, Hip Hop Caucus, Washington, DC

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

All Committee Meeting

12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

The Past and Future of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms CLE

This panel discussion will trace the path of the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment jurisprudence from the watershed 2008 decision in D.C. v. Heller, to the history-focused test set forth in NYSRPA v. Bruen, to the currently pending case of United States v. Rahimi.  Darrell Miller and Andrew Willinger of the Duke Center for Firearms Law will explore these decisions and consider the Second Amendment’s interaction with various federal, state, and local gun regulations—including laws restricting gun possession by domestic abusers, categorical bans on semiautomatic weapons, and sensitive places laws.

Moderator:  Ashley Weathers, Assistant Attorney General, North Carolina Department of Justice, Raleigh, NC               

Speakers:

• Darrell A. H. Miller, Melvin G. Shimm Distinguished Professor of Law, Duke University School of Law, Durham, NC
• Andrew Willinger | Executive Director, Duke Center for Firearms Law, Durham, NC

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Membership/ Social Media / Electronic Committee Meeting

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Content Advisory Board Meeting

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Publication Oversight Board Meeting

Saturday, February 3

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

The CROWN ACT Goes to Court CLE

A national review of litigation around state violations of the CROWN ACT and next steps in the fight to combat racial discrimination on the basis of African descendants’ natural and protective hairstyles.

This panel will explore the fight to recognize discrimination against African descendants’ natural hairstyles as a form of racial injustice within historical, legal, and transnational contexts while highlighting key reforms addressing race-based hair discrimination, including civil rights litigation, enforcement guidance, policy, and legislation popularly known as CROWN Acts.

Moderator: Kimberly Norwood, J.D., Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law, Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, MO

Panelists:

• Professor D. Wendy Greene, J.D., LL.M., Director, Center for Law, Policy, & Social Action, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Philadelphia, PA
• Patricia Okonta, Esq., Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF),
• Steven F. Stapleton, Member, Clark Hill, Grand Rapids, Michigan

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Pathways to Equity: Navigating Racial Equality in the Aftermath of Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) CLE

An analysis of the Court's affirmative action jurisprudence with specific emphasis on how the concept of diversity has evolved and increased equity, only to be rejected by the Court. The panelists will explore the various doctrinal and practical implications of the SFFA decision for the academy and beyond.  

Moderator: Laura McNeal, J.D., Ph.D., Professor of Law, Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville

Panelists:

• Vinay Harpalani, J.D., Ph.D., Don L. & Mabel F. Dickason Endowed Chair in Law, Professor of Law, University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, NM
• Jin Hee Lee, J.D., Director of Strategic Initiatives, Legal Defense Fund, Washington, DC
• Cedric Merlin Powell, J.D., Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs Professor of Law, and Distinguished Teaching University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

SLG Council Meeting

Register for 2024 Midyear Meeting