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Conservative & Libertarian Pre-Law Reading List Conservative & Libertarian Legal Bibliography The
Great Debate: National Federalist Society Events
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Quotes "The Federalist Society is changing the
culture of our nation's law schools. You are
returning the values and concepts of law as our
founders understood them to scholarly dialogue,
and through that dialogue, to our legal
institutions." "The Federalist Society has brought to
campus the commitment to real, honest, vigorous,
and open discussion. It is a result of the works
of the Federalist Society to create a wonderful
environment for discussing social, political,
legal, and constitutional issues." "It has been my pleasure to speak at
many Federalist Society gatherings around the
country, and I think one thing your organization
has definitely done is to contribute to free
speech, free debate, and most importantly public
understanding of, awareness of, and appreciation
of the Constitution. So that's a marvelous
contribution, and in a way I must say I'm
jealous at how the Federalist Society has
thrived at law schools." "[The Federalist Society] is not really
very revolutionary, but enormously successful
for those who are intellectually curious, have a
strong interest in our nation's values and
institutions, and are sufficiently self-assured
to want to hear the best arguments by the best
advocates on all sides concerning these
subjects." "There was a time when we
thought that intellectual ferment was on the
left and the right was brain dead. The
Federalist Society played a major role in
reversing that assumption." "This organization has played an
important part in sparking a dialogue between
lawyers and judges, and even at times amongst
judges themselves...by assiduously avoiding the
temptation to take positions, or to lobby and
engage in political advocacy. Resisting that
temptation takes discipline, I am sure, but rest
assured that you have made the right choice and
are providing a genuine and unique service in so
doing. Stay the course!" "It is a great pleasure for
me to be in front of the Federalist Society. I
am a tremendous admirer of this organization. I
agree completely that it has served an
enormously valuable function, in getting the
debate going about the meaning of the
Constitution. The fact that there are two sides
to the debate is evidenced by my presence here,
today, but your contribution to stimulating a
debate, to getting us on the other side to think
more clearly about our issues, and to presenting
to the American public issues…has performed an
enormously useful function." "I want to commend the [Federalist]
Society for bringing together the best minds
from right, left, and center to debate the most
pressing legal issues of the day." "I have never been at a Federalist
Society debate that has not been fairly run,
that has not aimed high, that has not asked the
hard questions and confronted the intellectual
problems. [I]t is one of the prizes of the NYU
Law School to have a Federalist Society Chapter
that is intellectually vigorous and successful
in being [such a] part of the mainstream of the
intellectual life of this school as the chapter
[is] here, and I am very grateful." "I love the Federalist
Society... These are highly committed,
intelligent, hard-working, active students who
make the Harvard community better." "The purpose of the Federalist Society
was to bring together young people who had this
skepticism about what they were being taught and
to let them know that there were others who
shared this skepticism." "I am proud to say that the Federalist
Society was founded in part at the University of
Chicago, and one of its best characteristics has
been an attack on liberal shibboleths by looking
at real consequences and specific problems and
by asking what law actually does." "The Federalist Society has
done more for the health of the law than any
organization I have witnessed in my
career." "I want to thank you for having me here.
I think it's admirable that you set up your
program to present diverse viewpoints and invite
among you such really very deep-dyed liberals as
myself." "You [The Federalist
Society] have already made…a considerable, an
indispensable contribution to the dialogue about
the rule of law which lies at the heart of the
great freedoms that I am convinced many of us
take for granted every single day of our lives.
And I salute you for this intellectual vigor in
framing the issues… The Federalist Society is
a true example of how semi-closed societies can
be transformed, at least in part, by allowing
new thoughts to be aired and by allowing a free
competition of ideas." "It is not the dignitaries who are the
real cause of hope, however. What is an
enormously refreshing and hopeful sign is to see
the young people who make up the membership of
the Federalist Society. Earnest, intelligent,
and unpretentious, these are the young men and
women of whom any nation and any age could be
proud." "The Federalist Society has
made important contributions to the nation's
understanding of our constitutional heritage." "[The Federalist Society]
puts a value on open debate, and on the belief
that true legal education demands an exposure to
a diversity of views, a free and open exchange." "The Federalist Society has
developed a reputation for being a lively and
open forum for serious discussion about
important legal topics. Liberals and
conservatives are regularly brought together to
debate and exchange views. Not only has the
group hosted events with Chief Justice William
Rehnquist and former Judge Robert Bork, but
other speakers have included Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American Civil
Liberties Union President Nadine Strossen,
Congressman Barney Frank and Jamin Raskin of the
Rainbow Coalition. I wish every legal group
welcomed such a broad array of speakers." "I've done a lot of
academic conferences in my career, and I always
find the Federalist Society the most enjoyable
because the Federalist Society is the
organization that is least afraid of inviting
people whom they know seriously disagree with
them." "My message is very simple.
It's to applaud the Federalist Society for its
extraordinary commitment to the contest of
ideas…I applaud the spirit of the Federalist
Society in putting in on conferences that really
do capture the importance of diversity and
viewpoint in education." "I have long been an
admirer of the academic integrity that
characterizes the Federalist Society's
symposia…Indeed, the organizers of the
gathering have done such an extraordinary job of
bringing together participants from all
ideological persuasions that this Symposium
promises a series of debates and discussions
that will become classics in the continuing
dialogue about our constitutional order." "This conference continues
the admirable tradition of the Federalist
Society, a tradition which emphasizes the unique
role of law students in fostering a robust
marketplace of ideas about law, and in
maintaining the interdisciplinary focus of the
modern university law school." "I was told that Federalist
Society conventions were intellectually serious,
courteous, and open to various points of view,
and that has certainly been my experience." "I'm delighted, as always, to be
speaking before a Federalist Society audience. I
take every opportunity to accept your speaking
invitations. I always feel so at home, and I
love reminding folks who may not remember this,
among your founding principles is that the state
exists to preserve freedom. It reminds me very
much of another organization that's near and
dear to me."
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"The
courts must declare the sense of the law; and if
they should be disposed to exercise WILL
instead of JUDGMENT,
the consequences would be the substitution of
their pleasure for that of the legislative
body." -- The Federalist No. 78 |