UMKC School of Law hosts “Enforcing Constitutional Rights in 21st Century” event

Stanford Law School Professor Pamela S. Karlan delivers keynote speech

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law presents its Edward A. Smith/Bryan Cave Lecture & Symposium – “Enforcing Constitutional Rights in the 21st Century” – on Thursday, Oct. 22 and Friday, Oct. 23 at the UMKC School of Law, 500 E. 52nd St., Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are not required, but RSVPs to PinkmanM@umkc.edu. or (816) 235-1644 are appreciated.

Pamela S. Karlan – the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School – will deliver the Edward A. Smith/Bryan Cave Lecture at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 and speak at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 23. Friday’s symposium will feature leading scholars discussing critical issues in civil rights litigation. For example, scholars will discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Ashcroft v. Iqbal, which has been noted as “the most significant Supreme Court decision in a decade for day-to-day litigation in the federal courts.”

Karlan is co-director of Stanford Law School’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. In the past five terms, the Clinic has represented a party in more than two dozen cases before the Court. In her academic work, Karlan specializes in constitutional law and litigation, including voting rights, civil rights and criminal procedure. She is the co-author of “Keeping Faith With the Constitution” and several leading casebooks, including “Constitutional Law,” “The Law of Democracy: Legal Structure of the Political Process” and “Civil Rights Actions: Enforcing the Constitution.” The American Lawyer named Karlan one of its Public Sector 45 – a group of lawyers “actively using their law degrees to change lives.” She is also an elected member of the American Law Institute and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Widely mentioned as a potential Supreme Court nominee, Karlan was described in the Christian Science Monitor as “simultaneously ideological, witty and charming” and in the New York Times as “an Antonin Scalia for the left.”

Missouri law professionals can earn 1.8 hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits by attending Thursday’s lecture and 6.3 hours of CLE credits by attending the Friday symposium.

Following is a schedule of Oct. 23 symposium events:

9 a.m. – “Changing the Remedial Framework for Fourth Amendment Violations”

Samuel Estreicher, New York University School of Law

Professor Estreicher will propose federal legislation creating a remedial substitute for the exclusionary rule that combines quality standards for police departments and damage remedies for systemic violations.

9:45 a.m. – “Reconceptualizing Private Entity Defendants in Section 1983 Actions”

Richard Frankel, Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University

Professor Frankel, a former litigator at Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, will discuss using Section 1983 to sue non-governmental entities in the era of governmental privatization.

10:45 a.m. – “Iqbal, Callahan, and the Evolution of Section 1983”

Pamela S. Karlan, Stanford University Law School

Professor Karlan will discuss Ashcroft v. Iqbal and Pearson v. Callahan – two of last term’s most important civil rights cases – and their place in the evolution of Section 1983.

1 p.m. – “Iqbal and Empathy”

Darrell Miller, University of Cincinnati Law School

Professor Miller, a former Marshall Scholar at Oxford, will discuss Iqbal’s plausibility standard and the role of judicial empathy in applying that standard.

1:45 p.m. – “Procedural Barriers to Civil Rights Litigation and the Illusory Promise of Equity”

Alexander Reinert, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University

Professor Reinert, a former clerk for Justice Breyer and the attorney for the plaintiff in Ashcroft v. Iqbal, will discuss the increasing importance of procedural defenses in civil rights cases.

2:45 p.m. – “The Burger Court and Section 1983: The Revolution That Almost Was”

Lynda G. Dodd, Washington College of Law at American University

Professor Dodd, the author of a forthcoming book tracing the history of Section 1983, will discuss the Burger Court and its effect on civil rights litigation.

3:30 p.m. – “Petition to Decision: An Archive of the Justices’ Papers in Section 1983 Cases”

David Achtenberg, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law

Professor Achtenberg will introduce the Petition to Decision Web site, which provides a digital archive of Supreme Court Justices’ papers dealing with selected Section 1983 decisions.

3:45 p.m. – “Rosy Pictures and Renegade Officials: The Slow Death of Monroe v. Pape”

Alan Chen, Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver

Dean Chen, a former chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Civil Rights, will discuss how recent developments have affected the utility of Section 1983 as a remedy for unconstitutional conduct.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience.

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This information is available to people with speech or hearing impairments by calling Relay Missouri at (800) 735-2966 (TT) or (800) 735-2466 (voice).


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