Josh Douglas asked me to post the following:

Dear Election Law Professors,

The Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Election Law has selected its winner of the Call for Papers for January’s meeting:  David Garter (ASU), Universal Participation.

We are now looking for one more person to join the panel, which includes Pam Karlan, Chris Elmendorf, Kareem Crayton, and now David Gartner.  Those interested must be law professors at an AALS-member school.  To nominate yourself, please send me an email at [email protected] with a paragraph explaining what you will present.  The panel title and description is below.  The deadline to submit is Tuesday, September 23.  The Executive Committee is particularly interested in adding a speaker that will bring a diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints.

Thanks,

Josh

The Voting Rights Act at 50

On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law.  During the signing ceremony, President Johnson referred to the Act as “one of the most monumental laws in the entire history of American freedom.”  Over the past fifty years, the Supreme Court has issued numerous decisions on various aspects of the Voting Rights Act, Congress has amended it several times, and it remains an important component of public debate.  This panel – the first programming for the new AALS Section on Election Law – will explore the many facets of that debate.  The panel will analyze the current issues regarding voting rights, from the Supreme Court’s recent invalidation of the Section 4 coverage formula in its Shelby County decision – essentially rendering Section 5 inoperable – to Congress’s consideration of a Voting Rights Act Amendment, to the report of the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration.  Part of this inquiry will include a discussion of whether we have reached the ideals President Johnson aspired to 50 years ago when he signed this Act, and where we should go from here in protecting and effectuating the right to vote.