The Rule of Law Forum

The New York City Bar is sponsoring The Rule of Law Forum: Preserving the Rule of Law in an Age of Disruption, consisting of a series of fall conferences from September to November, the event will examine underlying threats to the “Equal Justice Under Law” promised at the entrance to the United States Supreme Court. The Forum includes panels of respected experts to identify these challenges, discuss why they matter, and suggest remedies that help preserve the rule of law while confronting the challenges now facing our nation.  

Conceived and organized by ALI member Robert F. Cusumano, New York, NY, along with Marcy Kahn, Joshua Dratel, and Jennifer Rodgers, the goal of the program is to have an on-going and thought-provoking discussion with the legal profession, the academic community, and the public about what can and should be done to assure that America remains a nation governed by law even in time crisis – or especially in time of crisis – and to identify the actions necessary for our justice system to promote the impartial, equitable and effective enforcement of those laws. 

A number of other ALI members participated in the series including: Donald B. Ayer, Mc Lean, VA; Charles Fried, Harvard Law School; Harold Hongju Koh, Yale Law School; Margaret Colgate Love, Law Office of Margaret Love; Jed S. Rakoff, Southern District of New York; and Joyce White Vance, University of Alabama School of Law.   

The event will take place over five sessions:   

Session 1: Threats to the Rule of Law in America: A Survey  
Tuesday, September 15 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  

Session 2: Checks, Balances and Oversight — the Distribution of Governmental Power and Information  
Tuesday, September 22 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  

Session 3: Interference with Judicial Independence and Local Law Enforcement  
Thursday, October 8 | 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  

Session 4: Threats to Individual and Societal Rights  
Wednesday, October 21 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  

Session 5: Rebuilding the Rule of Law in America: What Can and Should the Legal Profession, Individual Lawyers and Citizens Do?  
Wednesday, November 18 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

 Videos of each session are availble here. 

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