FEDERALIST SOCIETY
FOR LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY STUDIES
WHAT IS THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY?
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a nationwide,
non-partisan organization of law students and legal professionals dedicated to
limited government, separation of governmental powers, and a judiciary whose
province is to say what the law is, not what it should be. The Society seeks
to promote awareness of these principles and to further their application through
its activities.
In 1982, the Federalist Society was founded by law students at Harvard,
Yale and Chicago (including current U.S. Senator from Michigan, E. Spencer
Abraham, and U.S. Congressman from Indiana, David McIntosh)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.
We seek to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application
through our various programs and activities. Our goal is quite simple -- to foster
much needed debate about contemporary legal issues.
Over 18,250 individuals are involved in the Society, including more than
3,050 law students from over 140 student chapters throughout the country. In
addition, there are over 12,800 active lawyers in 55 chapters across the nation.
PURPOSE OF THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY:
Law schools and the legal profession are currently strongly dominated by a form
of orthodox liberal ideology which 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 of conservatives
and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. 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,
and law professors. In working to achieve these goals, the Society has created a
conservative intellectual network that extends to all levels of the legal community.
The Boalt Hall chapter of the Federalist Society's specific goals
include:
- Promoting thoughtful and challenging discussion of legal and public policy
issues through debates, speaking events, and informal socializing.
- Academically and intellectually supporting conservative and libertarian law
students.
- Ensuring that all Boalt students – future leaders of the legal profession –
are thoughtfully exposed to conservative and libertarian perspectives, and consider
these perspectives in their analysis of legal issues.