Emory Law partners with Carter Center to examine the rule of law in US elections
Civil rights leaders reminisce about the early days of the Civil Rights Movement at an Atlanta Bar Association event held at Emory Law in August 2015.
Emory Law’s Center for Civil Rights and Social Justice (CCRSJ)—in partnership with The Carter Center — will offer a symposium, “Advancing the Rule of Law in US Elections,” on September 14-15. Capitalizing on the existing relationship between Emory University and The Carter Center, this symposium will launch a partnership between the CCRSJ and the Center that aims to increase support for civil rights and social justice in the legal community.
The symposium will hold a CLE-accredited discussion and dialogue on election law and voting rights with key members of the legal profession, Georgia community members, and other local leaders. The discussion and dialogue aims to raise awareness of past and current challenges in exercising the right to vote while facilitating a discussion on developing solutions for the future. The symposium will also introduce the CCRSJ’s and The Carter Center’s joint effort to prepare law students to contribute to the fight for civil rights and social justice.
The Advancing the Rule of Law in US Elections (ARLUSE) Initiative is part of The Carter Center’s Rule of Law Program which seeks to expand the awareness and understanding of election law in the legal profession. The ARLUSE Initiative also aims to prepare law students to advocate for and work toward stronger democratic processes and voting rights. Likewise, voting rights is one of the five foci of the CCRSJ, and, together, the CCRSJ and the Center will train law students for placement as Election Law Fellows in Georgia voting rights organizations starting next spring.
Fred Gray, the attorney described by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as “the chief counsel for the protest movement” will participate in a roundtable discussion as part of the symposium, as will Jason Carter, attorney, chair of The Carter Center’s Board of Trustees, and grandson of former President Jimmy Carter.
Other panelists and guests include:
- Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University
- Sharon Austin, Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida
- Gilda Daniels, Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore
- Aderson Francois, Anne Fleming Research Professor; Professor of Law; Director, Institute for Public Representation Civil Rights Law Clinic at Georgetown Law
- Luis Fuentes-Rohwer, Professor of Law, Class of 1950 Herman B Wells Endowed Professor at Indiana University Bloomington
- Darren Hutchinson, John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice, faculty director of the CCRSJ, and Emory Law Chief Diversity Officer
- Spencer Overton, The Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professorship; Professor of Law at George Washington University School of Law
- Andrea Young, Executive Director at ACLU Georgia
“Voting is one of our most important rights, and we’ve created this symposium to develop practical approaches and training to those working to protect the right to vote and advance the rule of law in the U.S.,” says Professor Hutchinson.