Posted December 7, 2005

Past Events:

• Loyola (Chicago) Symposium on Separation of Powers, March 23, 2007. CCJ Director John Eastman participated in a symposium on March 23, 2007 at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, entitled "Checks and Balances Today: The Reality of Separation of Powers." Other speakers include: Joseph Margulies from University of Chicago Law, Erwin Chemerinsky from Duke University Law, Steven Presser from Northwestern University Law, Robert Turner from University of Virginia Law, Linda McClain from Hofstra University Law, Kenneth Lasson from University of Maryland Law, Montgomery N. Kosma from Jones Day in Washington, D.C., Randy Barnett from Georgetown Law, and ACLU President Nadine Strossen; Additional information, including reservation details, are available here.
• University of Portland Symposium on Religious Freedom, April 12-14, 2007. CCJ Director John Eastman joined Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at a major conference entitled "The American Experiment: Religious Freedom," to be held at the University of Portland April 12-14, 2007. Details.
• UCLA Symposium on War Powers and Individual Liberties, Feb. 9, 2007. CCJ Director John Eastman participated in the 11th Annual Symposium of the UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs on February 9, 2007 at the UCLA Law School, debating Executive Power and Electronic Surveillance with Dana Lesemann and McGeorge Law Professor John Cary Sims. Additional details avaialable here. Dr. Eastman previously testified on the subject in May 2005 before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. A summary, including link to the testimony, is available here.
• Eleventh Annual Symposium of the UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, February 9, 2007 at the UCLA Law School.  CCJ Director John Eastman debated Executive Power and Electronic Surveillance with Dana Lesemann and McGeorge Law Professor John Cary Sims. Dr. Eastman previously testified on the subject in May 2005 before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
• USC Debate on Birthright Citizenship, Feb. 23, 2007. CCJ Director John Eastman will debate Birthright Citizenship with Jim Ho, former counsel to the U.S. Senate Constitution Committee, at the University of Southern California Law School at Noon on February 23, 2007. Eastman's prior testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, is available here.
• Los Angeles Debate on Gay Marriage, Feb. 28, 2007. CCJ Director John Eastman will participate in a major debate on "Gay Marriage in California: Legal and Political Prospects," sponsored by the Federalist Society and its Religious Liberties Practice Group and Los Angeles Lawyers Chapter, The American Constitution Society, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, and the USC Annenberg Knight Chair in Media and Religion. Other participants are Judge Kenneth Starr, the Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean at Pepperdine University School of Law, David Codell, former Supreme Court law clerk and founding partner of the Law Offices of David Codell, and Shannon Price Minter, Legal Director, Center for Lesbian Rights. The debate, which is open to the public, will be held at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles from Noon to 2:00 p.m. Additional information, including reservation details, are available here.
• September 6, 2006--Property Rights Conference: CCJ Director John Eastman participated in a conference addressing property rights entitled, "The Supreme Court Giveth, Will the People Taketh Away? Kelo, San Remo, Lingle and Beyond." The conference, held at the University of San Diego School of Law, was sponsored by the Municipal Law Institute of the League of California Cities and the UC Hastings Center for State and Local Government Law. Other participants included University of Virginia Law Professor Julia Mahoney; Andrew Schwartz, co-founder of the Community Land Use Project of the Institute for Local Self Government; Eric Grant, formerly with the Pacific Legal Foundation; Hastings Law Professor David Jung; and University of San Diego Law Professor Leslie McAllister. Additional details available here.
• August 31, 2006--APSA National Convention: CCJ Director John Eastman debated "Birthright Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment" at the American Political Science Association's 2006 Annual Convention in Philadelphia. Other participants included University of Georgia Professor Peter Spiro; and Matthew Spalding, Director of the Simon Center for Constitutional Studies at the Heritage Foundation. Additional details available here
• August 29-30, 2006--Texas Federalist Society Debates: CCJ Director John Eastman debated "Birthright Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment" at a series of debates sponsored by the Texas Lawyers Chapters of the Federalist Society: Tuesday evening, Aug. 29, in Dallas; Wednesday midday, Aug. 30, in Austin; and Wednesday evening, Aug. 30, in Houston. Other participants included James C. Ho, former Chief Counsel, U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration & Subcommittee on the Constitution and LTC Margaret D. Stock, Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, United States Military Academy.
• August 4, 2006--ABA National Convention: CCJ Director John Eastman debated "Birthright Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment" at the American Bar Association's 2006 Annual Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii. Other participants included James C. Ho, former Chief Counsel, U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration & Subcommittee on the Constitution and LTC Margaret D. Stock, Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, United States Military Academy.
• April 7-8, 2006--Drake Law School Constitutional Law Symposium: CCJ Director John Eastman participated in a major conference considering "The Role of Courts in Social Change," at Drake Law School. Other participants included Georgetown Law Professor Mark Tushnet, University of Chicago Political Science Professor Gerald Rosenberg, University of Wisconsin Professor of Law Jane Schacter, and University of Texas Law Professor Gerald Torres. Additional details available here.
• February 27-28, 2006--Virginia Law Schools: CCJ Director John Eastman debated the Pledge of Allegiance and the Establishment Clause with Professor William Van Alstyn at William & Mary Law School, details here, and delivered lectures at Washington & Lee Law School and the University of Virginia on the constitutionality of the NSA Surveillance program on February 28. The UVA presentation is summarized here.
• February 22, 2006--Heritage Foundation Lecture: University of California (Boalt Hall) Law Professor John Yoo, who is a member of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence's Board of Advisors, delivered a major lecture entitled "The Bush Presidency and the Constitutional Powers of War" at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. Additional details are available here, or by calling (202) 675-1752.
• February 16, 2006--Orange County City Attorney's Association: CCJ Director John Eastman delivered a noon-time address to the City Attorney's Association entitled "Kelo and McConnell: Blank Check or Dangerous Minefield for Cities?" The talk focused on recent Supreme Court decisions upholding restrictions on free speech and the taking of private property for private rather than public use, and counseled local officials to be wary of exercising such liberty-infringing authority.
• February 14, 2006--Press Conference, Boy Scouts Ninth Circuit Appeal: CCJ Director John Eastman participated in a press conference following oral argument in the Boy Scouts appeal of a San Diego federal court decision holding that BSA's lease of San Diego park land for a summer camp was an unconstitutional establishment of religion. We filed an amicus brief in the case, in support of the Boy Scouts (of course). The post-argument press conference, is available via streaming video.
• January 19, 2006--Founders' Views on Religion, Debate at Chapman Law School: CCJ Director John Eastman debated ACLU Executive Director Steve Rohde at Chapman Law School. The evening debate, co-sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League of Orange County and the Chapman chapters of the Federalist Society, the Christian Legal Society, and the Jewish Students' Association, will address the Founders' Views on the Constitution's religion clauses.
• January 17, 2006--Los Angeles Debate on the Solomon Amendment: Jointly sponsored by the Los Angeles Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society, CCJ Director John Eastman debated the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which requires universities that accept federal funds to permit military recruiters on campus.
• December 15, 2005--Washington, D.C. Debate on the Role of the Judiciary: CCJ Board Member Stephen Presser (the Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History at Northwestern University School of Law) and former Claremont Publius Fellow Wendy Long (now Legal Counsel for the Judicial Confirmation Network) debated Seth Rosenthal, Legal Director of the Alliance for Justice on the topic, "Judicial Activism vs. Judicial Restraint: Is the Alito Nomination Sharpening the Debate?" The debate, sponsored by the Federalist Society's Federalism & Separation of Powers practice group, will be held at the National Press Club from Noon to 2:00 p.m.
  Additional details, including reservation information, available here.
• December 9, 2005--Sacramento Lawyers Chapter, Federalist Society: CCJ Director John Eastman and CCJ Board of Advisor member John Yoo participated in a panel discussion of the legacy of the Rehnquist Court.
• Oct. 20, 2005--Georgetown Law School: CCJ Director John Eastman participated in a debate about the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment at Georgetown Law School with Georgetown Law Professor David Cole and Supreme Court specialist Carter Phillips, among others. Details about the debate, sponsored by the Civil Rights practice group of the Federalist Society, are available here.
• Oct. 13-14, 2005--Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University: CCJ Director John Eastman spoke about state constitutional provisions for education at a major conference sponsored by the Program on Education Policy and Governance at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Additional details available here.
• Oct. 12, 2005--Harvard Law School: CCJ Director John Eastman debated the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which requires public and private universities that accept federal funds to permit military recruiters on campus. Arguing against the Solomon Amendment's constitutionality was Boston College Law Professor Kent Greenfield. Eastman filed a brief in the Solomon Amendment case currently pending before the Supreme Court, which is raising quite a ruckus up at Harvard. Professor Greenfield is the founder of the Forum for Academic and Institutional Reform, Plaintiff/Respondent in the case. Additional details available here.
• Sept. 29, 2005--Congressional Hearing on Birthright Citizenship: CCJ Director John Eastman testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Control, and Claims. More details available here. The Hearing, which addressed "Dual Citizenship, Birthright Citizenship, and the Meaning of Sovereignty," is still available via webcast. Congressman Dan Lungren (R - CA) interprets Eastman's testimony in this letter (PDF), and a debate about the issue of birthright citizenship was published on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal (see here for links).
• Sept. 9, 2005--Symposium on the Federal Marriage Amendment, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University: CCJ Director John Eastman participated in a major conference addressing the federalism implications of the federal marriage amendment. Additional details available here
• Aug. 29, 2005--Lochner v. New York Re-Enactment: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia visited Chapman University School of Law for a special re-enactment of Lochner v. New York on the centennial anniversary of that landmark Supreme Court decision upholding the freedom of contract rights of individuals against paternalistic legislation by the government. CCJ Director John Eastman argued on behalf of Joseph Lochner, Baker. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer argued New York's position. Joining Justice Scalia on the bench were 8 Chapman law and undergraduate students. The event was followed that evening by Justice Scalia's delivery of Chapman's annual Madison Lecture. A link to the archived streaming video is available here.
• Aug. 26, 2005--Conference on Illegal Immigration: Its Impact on America, Los Angeles: CCJ Director John Eastman spoke about how a 100-year-old erroneous decision by the Supreme Court has altered our understanding of citizenship and created a massive incentive for illegal immigration. The conference was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, and Coalition for Immigration Reform of California. Other participants in the conference included Congressman Tom Tancredo, California State Assemblyman Ray Haynes, and Minuteman Project Organizer Jim Gilchrest. Additional details available here
• June 27, 2005--Debate Rages over Property Rights: Law Professor Eric Claeys, a former publius fellow at the Claremont Institute and member of the Board of Advisors of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, has posted his thoughts over at No Left Turns (and here) about the Supreme Court's property-destroying decision in Kelo v. New London, Connecticut. Eric was the principal author of the brief we filed in the case, contending, in an argument elaborated upon by Justice Clarence Thomas in dissent, that property rights are fundamental, natural rights, the protection of which is one of the principal purposes of government.
• May 18, 2005--San Diego Federalist Society Debate on Boy Scouts: CCJ Director John Eastman participated in a debate on access to public lands by the Boy Scouts, co-sponsored by the Federalist Society's Civil Rights practice group and San Diego Lawyers' chapter. Other participants in the debate included: Pepperdine Law School Dean (and former Judge and Special Prosecutor) Kenneth Starr; George Davidson, lead counsel for the Boy Scouts in numerous cases, including the Supreme Court's Boy Scouts v. Dale case; and U.C. Davis Law School Professor Alan Brownstein. The debate was webcast, and an archive of the debate is available on-line here. (Dr. Eastman's remarks begin at 27:00).
• May 10, 2005--Eastman testifies before California Legislature on Proposed Marriage Amendment: Dr. Eastman testified before the Judiciary Committee of the California Assembly at 11:00 a.m., and the Judiciary Committee of the California Senate at 2:30 p.m., regarding a proposed California constitutional amendment that would maintain marriage in California as a union of one man and one woman. Webcasts of the hearings are available here: Assembly and Senate.
• March 15, 2005--Eastman participates in Judicial Independence Conference: At the conference, sponsored by the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, Eastman defended impeachment as an important legislative check on judges who render unconstitutional opinions. Other conference participants included Senator John Cornyn, George Will, C.Boyden Gray, and Honorary CCJ Chairman Edwin Meese III. Listen to Conference Online by clicking "Watch" under Congress and Courts.