Kevin Hasson of the Becket Fund to Speak on Monday

On Monday, 22 September, Kevin "Seamus" Hasson will deliver a speech entitled: "The Right to be Wrong: Ending the Culture War over Religion in America." He is the founder and current president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Robin Fretwell Wilson will introduce Mr. Hasson.

US Commission on Civil Rights: Affirmative Action Does More Harm Than Good

From the NY Post:

THE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which turns 50 this week, remains an important vehicle for public debate on civil-rights issues - as evidenced by its controversial new report questioning whether affirmative action may actually do more harm than good to its intended beneficiaries.

The report, "Affirmative Action in American Law Schools," found that admitting minority students "into law schools for which they might not academically be prepared could harm their academic performance and hinder their ability to obtain secure and gainful employment."

The arguments about the unintended consequences of affirmative action aren't new. What is new is a growing body of empirical evidence to back up the claim that affirmative action in higher education harms not only whites and Asians but also blacks and Hispanics.

But this body of evidence may never see light - which is why the report is so important. The commission has no civil-rights-enforcement authority, but it has always served as the nation's conscience on civil rights, making findings and recommendations to the president and Congress. Its recommendation is to end the conspiracy of secrecy surrounding the effects of affirmative action on the performance of black students in law schools.

The first solid evidence that affirmative action was harming black law-school students came in 2004, when UCLA law prof Richard Sander published a study that showed that more than half of black students at elite law schools had first-year grades that put them in the bottom 10 percent of their classes. This led to a far greater chance that the students wouldn't finish law school and made them six times more likely never to pass the bar exam.

But Sander also found that black students did far better if they attended law schools with students whose undergraduate grades and law-school-admission-test scores were similar to theirs. Black students who didn't rely on affirmative action to get into law school had similar first-year grades with their white counterparts and passed the bar at similar rates as all students from the same tier law school.

The affirmative-action establishment denounced Sander's study. More perniciously, it conspired to deny access to a body of evidence, a 25-year archive of California state-bar results, that could definitively prove Sander's thesis that mismatching black students with law schools where they were less likely to succeed resulted in fewer black lawyers than there would be without affirmative action.

Institute of Justice's Neily to Speak on February 18 about Second Amendment

Clark Neily, the lead attorney in Parker v. D.C. (successfully challenging D.C.'s gun laws), 478 F.3d 370, will speak on Monday, February 18 at noon in Classroom A about the Second Amendment. As always, food will be provided.

First Meeting & "Feds on Tap" on Thursday, September 13

We will have our first meeting on Thursday, September 13 at 7 P.M. in Classroom A. As always, food will be provided. This meeting will be followed up at the Southern Inn by our first "Feds on Tap: Because No Debate on Judicial Construction Should Begin Without a Toast."

Becket's Hasson to Speak September 24 on Religion in Society

Kevin Seamus Hasson, Chairman & Founder of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, will speak at 2 P.M. on Monday, September 24 in Classroom A on the topic of his book, "The Right To Be Wrong: Ending the Culture War Over Religion in America. See Interview here. As always, food will be provided.

Unanimous Texas Supreme Court Affirms Seminaries' Religious Freedom

Multiple Texas seminaries successfully challenged a state requirement that subjected each seminary's curriculum to government approval. A unanimous Texas Supreme Court (8-0) found that such restrictions "impermissibly intrudes upon religious freedom protected by the United States and Texas Constitutions."

Professor Calhoun Becomes Faculty Advisor

I am proud to announce that Professor Samuel Calhoun will be the 2007-2008 Faculty Advisor of Washington & Lee University's Federalist Society. Considering his scholarship and passion for Federalist Society principles, primarily his focused opposition to Roe v. Wade, it will be an honor to work with him this year.

David Barton to Speak Jan 22 on Establishment Clause

Historian David Barton from Wallbuilders will speak on January 22 at noon in Classroom A. Mr. Barton is a dynamic speaker who has extensively studied and researched original documents written by and about our nation's founder. As always, food will be provided.