I was delighted to attend The Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention in Washington, DC on November 11-13, 2021 at the Mayflower Hotel. This year’s theme—“Public and Private Power: Preserving Freedom or Preventing Harm?”—covered many current issues expertly addressed from both legal and policy perspectives by prominent federal appellate judges, law professors, and advocacy organizations.
- Each of the plenary and break-out sessions that I attended was outstanding – well planned, lively, and informative.
- I particularly enjoyed the enlightening panel on Law, Science, and Public Policy. The panelists’ comments helped to inform my amicus curiae activities on behalf of the Atlantic Legal Foundation, especially our sound science in judicial and regulatory proceedings mission area.
- The session on Classrooms, Curricula and the Law also was excellent.
- I was happy to interact in person with some of the hundreds of Federalist Society members who attended. These included the Harvard Federalist Society law students whom I met at the annual Harvard Law School alumni breakfast. Special alumni guests, Ninth Circuit Judges Diarmuid O’Scannlain and Patrick Bumatay, provided terrific insights on how the nation’s largest federal circuit court of appeals conducts its business.
- The first-hand recollections and observations offered by D.C. Circuit Judge Laurence H. Silberman during his Robert H. Bork Memorial Lecture were a special treat.
The Convention provided me, and I’m sure other attendees, with a huge amount of food for thought. It was a great way to emerge from the pandemic!