Unchallenged for so long, the sanctity and legitimacy of the American system of checks and balances has been tantamount to political bedrock, seemingly certain to survive even a cataclysmic attack. 

But the daily headlines show that the rule of law, American democracy’s principal guardrail, is being battered as never before and, many analysts warn, now is crumbling, threatening to derail the entire American experiment in constitutional government. 

In a May 31 forum, the second of the 2020 season, Conversations On the Green brings together a panel of renowned legal scholars to discuss the threats to the rule of law, which contains the furious competition among the Federal government’s three branches.

The panel is led by Joyce Vance, one of the first five U.S. Attorneys - and the first female U.S. Attorney - nominated by President Barack Obama. Confirmed unanimously, she served for eight years until 2017 in the Northern District of Alabama and earned plaudits for her battles against public corruption and on behalf of civil rights. She joined the University Of Alabama’s Law School as a distinguished visiting lecturer the same year and in 2018 became a contributor to MSNBC, where she regularly provides commentary.

Former Principal Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal, a national security law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, will join Vance on the panel. American Lawyer Magazine’s Litigator Of The Year in both 2016 and 2017, he is the son of Hindu parents from India and has argued more cases before the Supreme Court than any other minority lawyer. While serving as Deputy Solicitor General, he successfully argued the defense of the 1965 Civil Rights Act and, in 1999 drafted the special regulations that guided the Mueller investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Rounding out the panel is the former acting director of the D.E.A., Charles “Chuck” Rosenberg. He was the lead attorney in headline grabbing Federal prosecutions involving espionage, kidnapping, murder and complex financial crimes. The breadth of his experience is reflected in the long list of Department of Justice senior positions he has held, including posts in the Tax Division's Criminal Enforcement Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Counsel and Chief of Staff to the Director of the FBI, Counselor to the Attorney General and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General. A former partner at the private law firm Hogan Lovells, he was nominated by President George Bush and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2006 to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Virginia.

Moderated by former NBC correspondent and national talk show host Jane Whitney, this interactive symposium, which begins at 3 p.m. on May 31st and runs 90 minutes, will be live streamed, allowing anyone with an internet-connected device to participate and ask questions.

TICKETS

• $25 - Individual tickets.
• $125 - 2020 Season Pass: LAST CHANCE to save big and receive access to all events (six to eight this season)

*** Current Season Pass Holders DO NOT Need to Register

 

ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT...

 American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund   addressing emerging needs of nurses on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response.

 Greenwoods Counseling & Referrals, Inc. -  helping members of the Litchfield County Community and beyond find access to compassionate and high-quality mental health and related care.

 New Milford Hospital - helping to secure the latest technology, attract the best medical staff and provide the compassionate, patient-centered care for which they are nationally recognized. 

 Susan B. Anthony Project - promoting safety, healing, and growth for all survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and advocates for the autonomy of women and the end of interpersonal violence.

We look forward to seeing you!

Clearview Energy and Glenmede are proud to sponsor the virtual events and Connecticut Public Television broadcasts of Conversations On the Green.