Federalist Society
Our Purpose
- Law schools and the legal profession are currently strongly dominated by a form of orthodox liberal ideology which tends toward and often advocates a centralized and uniform society. While some members of the academic community have dissented from these views, by and large they are taught simultaneously with (and indeed as if they were) the law.
- The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group composed mainly of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order but welcomes members of any political affiliation. It is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. The Society seeks both to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities.
- This entails reordering priorities within the legal system to place a premium on individual liberty, traditional values, and the rule of law. It also requires restoring the recognition of the importance of these norms among lawyers, judges, law students, and professors. In working to achieve these goals, the Society has created a conservative and libertarian intellectual network that extends to all levels of the legal community.
DU Law Chapter of the Federalist Society TWEN site
Board
Co-President: Mackenzie S Budman
Co-President: Lark D Commanday
Vice-President: Alexa K Ullom
Treasurer: Jonah J Karls
Faculty Advisor: David Schott
National Federalist Society Site
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the Federalist Society?
A. It is an organization of 40,000 lawyers, law students, scholars, and other individuals who believe and trust that individual citizens can make the best choices for themselves and society. It was founded in 1982 by a group of law students interested in making sure that the principles of limited government embodied in our Constitution receive a fair hearing.
Q. How does the Federalist Society carry out its mission?
A. The Society’s main purpose is to sponsor fair, serious, and open debate about the need to enhance individual freedom and the role of the courts in saying what the law is rather than what they wish it to be. We believe debate is the best way to ensure that legal principles that have not been the subject of sufficient attention for the past several decades receive a fair hearing.
Q. Does the Federalist Society take positions on legal or policy issues or engage in other forms of political advocacy?
A. No. The Society is about ideas. We do not lobby for legislation, take policy positions, or sponsor or endorse nominees and candidates for public service. While overall the Society believes in limited government, its members are diverse and often hold conflicting views on a broad range of issues such as tort reform, privacy rights, and criminal justice.
Q. Who joins the Federalist Society?
A. Many prominent lawyers, law students, and scholars in America are members or involved with our work. Membership is open to anyone who wishes to join the Society, and the organization often attracts people who share a desire for public service.
Q. Who can attend Federalist Society meetings?
A. Everyone is welcome to the programs of our more than 200 law school chapters, 60 metropolitan lawyers chapters, and 15 nationwide practice groups. The several hundred events sponsored each year by the Federalist Society are publicly advertised and are open to the press and the general public. A number of our events are on television or are webcast.
Q. Who are some of the Federalist Society’s participants and speakers?
A. The Society has a strong reputation for hosting speakers on all sides of the ideological spectrum. A number of the Society’s most frequent and prominent speakers – from the Left as well as the Right – attest to the fact that the Society has contributed a great deal to free speech, free debate, and the public understanding of the Constitution.