Congratulations to the Brand New ACS Board

Without further ado, here's your Columbia ACS 2008 - 2009 Executive Board:

President: Kate Sauser
Vice President: Megan Crowley
Events Chair: Mina Nasseri
External Relations Chair: Adam Sparks
Finance Chair: Max Dubin
Media Chair: Zeke Hill
3L Representatives: Jake Honigman and Laird Nelson

Thank you to everyone who ran, voted, and has been involved in ACS this
year!

Columbia ACS Board Elections - Candidate Statements

President

Adam Mintz
Kate Sauser

-

Adam Mintz
At its core, ACS ensures there is a strong progressive voice on campus that informs and inspires the Columbia Community about issues of law and public policy that we must confront. I would like to be President of ACS to ensure ACS continues to serve its important role in the Columbia Community. Not only does ACS ensure important policy issues are discussed by hosting a wide range of speakers, it also assists in the development of important advocacy skills through the Constance Baker Motley Moot Court Competition. While I want to continue both of these programs, my goal for next year is to institute two changes in what ACS does. First, given the important role ACS has in promoting progressive policies, I want to have a speaker series that focuses on how lawyers can shape policy and the what types of jobs law students should look for in that effort. Second, while I think the Moot Court competition was very successful this year, students did not have the benefit of the legal practice workshop before they wrote their briefs and made their oral arguments. I would like to provide additional oral argument and brief writing training by bringing local attorneys or professors to offer 2-4 training sessions in the fall. Also, given the complexity of constitutional arguments and the fact that constitutional law is taught in the spring, I would also like to dedicate one of those sessions to explain how constitutional arguments differ from other legal arguments.

With these goals in mind, I feel I have the talents and experience to be an effective president. This year, I served as a 1L board representative to ACS where I planned events, worked with the ACS national organization, and helped in the group’s decision process. I also participated in the moot court competition. These experiences allowed me to learn about the organization and understand the time and planning necessary to ensure the organization is run effectively. Moreover, as an undergraduate, I was President of the Democratic organization on campus and effectively performed many of the same functions the President of ACS does. Those included planning meetings and events, working with other groups on campus, and communicating with the national organization. I feel I have the dedication, experience and organization necessary to be an effective president and I hope you will give me the opportunity to serve as the President of ACS next year.

Kate Sauser
I believe I would make a good president of ACS for several reasons. First, I served on the Board this year as a 1L Representative. While serving on the Board, I helped plan several events. I planned the Constitutional Law Mixer, which over 50 people attended, in conjunction with the Federalist Society. I also planned for Doug Kendall to come speak on campus. I hosted two ACS parties at my apartment, as well as the CLS/NYU ACS Mixer. I have helped plan and write questions for Quizzo. If elected President, I will continue ACS’s tradition of reaching out to other student organizations and co-hosting events. I believe the skills I’ve gained and contacts I’ve made as 1L Board Rep this year will be very useful in leading ACS, and I hope to have that opportunity.

Vice-President

Megan Crowley
Adam Mintz
Mina Nasseri
Kate Sauser

-

Megan Crowley
I am running for ACS Vice-President because I think that ACS offers wonderful opportunities to Columbia Law students and I want to help continue providing these events and services, while increasing student involvement in the organization. I am particularly interested in running for Vice President because I want to focus on getting more students involved with both the Columbia and National Chapters of ACS. I believe that my enthusiasm for the organization and ability to generate enthusiasm among other students would be useful assets in this position. There are great resources available to students through ACS and communicating that to members is crucial to building a stronger organization and generating excitement around the issues addressed. I have great interest in these issues addressed by ACS and am eager to work hard to make Columbia’s ACS chapter an even more vibrant organization at school.

Adam Mintz
While my preference is to serve as President next year, I feel the experience and skills necessary to be an effective President would also allow me to be an effective Vice President. Please read my candidate statement for President.

Mina Nasseri
I am running for Vice President of ACS because I love this organization. Being involved with ACS--both the organization and the moot court program--has been one of my most valuable experiences as a 1L. As Vice President, I would continue ACS's tradition of arranging guest speakers to visit, organizing membership drives, and planning fun-filled activities (such as Quizzo and parties). I would also like to start some new programs, such as distributing study packages during finals and putting together a database of outlines/exams for ACS members to use. All in all, I wish to continue my involvement in ACS and believe I could best do that as Vice President.

Kate Sauser
I feel that my serving on the board this year would be very helpful in acting as Vice President of ACS. I have tabled several times to boost ACS membership, which is one of the main responsibilities of the VP. Also, I would organize social events to serve as membership drives. My organizational skills would help me to update the membership database and keep it in order. Also, my extensive involvement with admitted students at Admitted Student Weekends, as well as my participation in other student groups like Law Revue and Columbia Law Women’s Association, has put me in a good position to develop relationships with next year’s 1L class.

Events Chair

Megan Crowley
Max Dubin
Mina Nasseri
Kate Sauser

-

Megan Crowley
I am running for ACS Events Chair because I want to continue bringing excellent events and opportunities to Columbia law students, as have been offered by ACS in the past. Having an organization that allows students to engage with contemporary issues and offers a forum for discussion and debate is a fundamental component of a vibrant law school culture. I am eager to contribute to that effort and think that ACS is the ideal organization through which to do so. I am an organized and hard-working person and think that events chair would be a great position for me to utilize my energy and interest towards making ACS a central forum for engagement and dialogue at the law school.

Max Dubin
I am running for events chair because I've enjoyed all the ACS events that I've been to and I have a lot of event planning experience. At the law school, I was on the Senate social committee, working on events like Iron Chef and Barristers. Before law school, I was president of the Penn Inter Fraternity Council, and have experience overseeing and organizing many projects at once. I also was one the ACS moot court and planning committee, and have a sense of how events are typically handled in this organization. I expect the fall semester will be dominated by the election, and we should capitalize on the excitement in out events, pulling out important issues from the race and inviting speakers or having our own debates. I also have experience from working at NPR's Justice Talking, a legal and social issues debate show, and I have worked in finding and inviting experts to come participate. Beyond continuing to have a full schedule of speakers and social events, I want to find more events that highlight ACS lawyers in the real world, and find the many different paths they have taken. Thank you. Max Dubin

Mina Nasseri
I would like to be the Events Chair of ACS so that I could be involved in planning and organizing ACS activities. I think I would do a good job planning the event logistically (filling out the necessary forms, contacting the necessary people, getting food, etc.) as well as promoting the event through posters and emails. One idea I have for the position is to put a calendar on the ACS bulletin board in JG to display all the activities we have planned. Also, I would like to designate one day (Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday) as "Lunch with ACS" day - where people would automatically know that we have a guest speaker and lunch at the same time and same place every week.

Kate Sauser
As mentioned in my statement for President, I helped plan several events this year, and I believe this experience will be helpful in serving as Events Chair. I have flyered and obtained room reservations for several events this year, including the ConLaw Mixer, Doug Kendall, the Wu’Tierney factor and Guantanamo. Also, my experience with the 1L Planning Committee makes me confident that I can oversee the planning of ACS events while successfully delegating work and making sure everything runs smoothly. I also attended almost all the lunch events last year, and as Events Chair, would encourage all board members who are able to do so as well.

Finance Chair

Max Dubin

-

Max Dubin
I am applying for finance chair primarily to get involved in our ACS chapter. I have experience in running club finances in college. I'll keep organized and promptly maintained books. My philosophy for the position is to try to fund every good idea but to have as much planning as possible to keep costs as tight as possible. I have also been on Senate this year, and have a good sense of how to maximize the funding we get. I will be fair and respectful of the rules, but also with clear planning and explanation, try to get as many of our events funded as possible. Beyond this administrative position, I also hope to get plan and execute events, and describes some of my hopes in my other applications. Thank you. Max Dubin

Media Chair

Zeke Hill
Kate Sauser

-

Zeke Hill
With your support, I would like to serve as the next ACS Media Chair. This year, I worked on the ACS blog as an assistant to the current Media Chair, including writing BlogThis! emails and blogging ACS events. My experience in this capacity, in addition to attending ACS events, serving on the 1L committee and prior work blogging and developing web content for political and nonprofit organizations, has provided me with a sense of how the blog and the ACS website generally can best serve the organization. Furthermore, I believe that I have all the requisite technical skills and can type at speeds approaching 50 wpm (with 95% accuracy). Aside from its informational and organizational aspects, the blog is a great tool for engaging ACS members in timely issues relevant to ACS' mission. With this in mind, I would continue the current blog practices and also examine how we can expand the blog's use by (and utility to) ACS and ACS members.

Kate Sauser
My undergraduate degree in Journalism and background in media relations makes me confident in my ability to do the job of Media Chair. I have worked on several publications and been an editor of two magazines in the past. I have a blog and some experience with webpage management. As Media Chair, I would solicit blog content from specific students, student leaders, and professors to make the ACS blog a useful and exciting resource for Columbia ACS members and CLS students in general.

External Relations Chair

Max Dubin
Kate Sauser
Adam Sparks

-

Max Dubin

I am applying for external relations chair to get more involved in ACS. I see the position as trying to get the most out of ACS nationals, both in money but also in guidance towards finding great speakers or ACS lawyers who have taken non-traditional paths in their careers. This is particularly important, since ACS should encourage conversation on political and legal issues, but also get a sense of how lawyer are pursuing these interests. This also suggests that the position should also try to help the events chair as much as possible. I have a lot of experience and excitement for the events we can have next year, which I discussed in my events chair application and won't make you read again. Beyond connecting with the national organization and lawyers, I think the position should try to work on connections with other ACS chapters. Quizzo is always successful, and it would be easy to challenge other ACS chapters to competitions as well. Thank you. Max Dubin

Kate Sauser
As one of the attendees and hosts of the NYU/CLS ACS Mixer this year, I feel I am well-prepared to assume the job of External Relations Chair, as coordinating with other schools’ ACS chapters is one of the main responsibilities of this position. I also saw the ACS mentorship program in action, and I would welcome the opportunity to make sure that any ACS member who wants a member gets one and that the mentors stay active with their mentees, perhaps by holding mentor/mentee social events throughout the year.

Adam Sparks

I’m running for External Relations Chair because ACS cannot fulfill its mission of “chang[ing] the terms of public debate” without vigorous interaction with peer organizations and practitioners outside of the school. I have a deep appreciation for the roles mentorship and cross-school collaboration should play in the development of this public debate. My work at Columbia Law with the Senate and the Law Revue have proven my ability to capitalize on this belief and to reach out successfully to students and practitioners elsewhere. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, sweet tea runs through this man’s veins; external relations can only improve with that kind of DNA.

3L Representative

Jake Honigman
Laird Nelson
Adam Sparks

-

Jake Honigman
Serving as President of ACS this past year has been one of the highlights of my law school experience, and I hope to stay involved next year. I plan on being as hands-off as possible, while providing whatever guidance I can to the new board whenever they solicit (or seem like they need) it. I'm proud of the frequency and quality of the programming this year, but think we could have had more discussions related to judicial philosophy, and hope that next year--especially as the general presidential election campaign unfolds--we will focus on that area a little more. I ask you humbly for your vote, and hope to help ACS in whatever way I can for the rest of my time at CLS. Thank you.


Laird Nelson
As the current Vice President, I’m hoping to continue my involvement with our chapter next year in the position of 3L Representative. This year I’ve had a great experience on the board, communicating with speakers and planning events, coordinating with ACS National, reaching out to 1Ls and others to grow our membership, serving as an editor for the ACS moot court, and generally working with my fellow board members to ensure the chapter runs as well as it can. If elected to be 3L Rep, I look forward to helping the new board and sharing my experiences with them, so that we can make next year even more successful. I’ve had the chance to learn a lot about how both our chapter and the larger ACS organization function, and by staying on the board I’d be able to provide some continuity, especially in our contacts with National and membership development, to keep things running smoothly. ACS has a great presence here at Columbia, promoting progressive ideas and debate, and I hope to stay involved in that next year!

Adam Sparks
As what one might call a “4L,” I would bring unprecedented grizzled wisdom to the ACS Board. Having been what one might call a plebian, pawn, or line grunt for three years, I can contribute the perception of the ordinary ACS-er – the common progressive, if you will. I have a lot of experience running events and programs at Columbia Law (see, e.g., Student Senate Treasury, Law Revue Show), and I’d like to help take ACS to even greater heights. In conclusion, please pick me. Don’t make me cry.

ACS Board Elections

Hey All,
While Hilary and Barack duke it out on the national stage, its about that time of year to have some mud-slingin' election adventures of our own here at CLS. Here's some information from 3L and ACS-election Czarina, Zahra Egal:

ACS Election Procedures 2008

1. All members of ACS National who will be 2L or 3L students in the following academic year are eligible both to vote and to run for positions on the Columbia ACS Board. Candidates must be registered as members of National by the time candidates’ statements are due (April 4).
2. The board positions to be filled by election are as follows:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. Events Chair
4. External Relations Chair
5. Finance Chair
6. Media Chair
7. 3L Representatives (2)
3. Candidates may run for one or more positions. For each position for which they are running, candidates should write a one paragraph statement expressing why they are running for that position. There will be no meeting at which candidates present themselves.
4. Candidates must also rank their preferences for each position for which they are running—which position is their first choice, which their second, and so on.. This information will be used if a candidate receives the most eligible votes for more than one position (see Step 14, below).
5. Candidate statements are due by 5:00pm, Friday, April 4. These should be emailed to zahra.egal@gmail.com. Candidates whose statements arrive after this deadline will not be placed on the ballot and will not have their statements posted.
6. The 3L board members will prepare a list of candidates and candidate statements. This information will be available on the ACS blog, and a link to the information will be emailed to all eligible voters. Additionally, candidate statements will be posted on our bulletin board on the first floor of JG.
7. Elections will occur over four days, during lunchtime (12:30–1:30), from Tuesday April 8, to Thursday, April 10 Elections will occur at a table in the hall of JG.
8. The volunteers at the election table will have a list of all eligible voters, the candidate statements, and ballots.
9. Non-members can also join at the election table and thus become eligible voters.
10. Ballots will list alphabetically the candidates for each position. To vote, voters will rank their preference for each candidate for each position. Voters must rank each candidate, and cannot put the same ranking for more than one candidate.
11. The volunteers at the election table will accept completed ballots from eligible voters and keep track of those who have voted. (Each voter may fill out only one ballot.)
12. After lunch on Thursday, the 3L board members will tally the votes for positions in the following order (though candidate’s preferences will also be taken into account, see Step 14 below:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. Events Chair
4. External Relations Chair
5. Finance Chair
6. Media Chair
7. 3L Representatives (2)
13. In the case of a tie for a position, ballots that ranked neither candidate as the top available choice will be counted as a vote for whichever of the top two candidates is ranked more highly. Example:
1. A ballot ranks the preferences for President as follows: Monique is first, Ned is second, Ophelia is third.
2. On the initial counting, Ned and Ophelia are tied for the position because each is ranked more highly than any other eligible candidate, except each other.
3. The ballot will then count as a vote for Ned.
14. If at any time a candidate has the most votes for more than one position, the candidate will be elected to the position he or she has ranked more highly as a personal preference. Example:
1. Roger has run for both Vice President and for Media Chair and for no other positions. He has ranked Media Chair as his first choice and Vice President as his second.
2. When the votes for Vice President are tallied, Roger has the most votes for both Vice President and for Media Chair.
3. Roger will be elected Media Chair.
15. The results will be announced over email and on the blog by the 3L board members.
16. In the event that any of the elected positions are not filled after the election, the sitting board member will continue to fill that position until the new board meets first and resolves the problem.

Media Chair Tech Specs

The primary responsibility of the Media Chair is to manage and promote the online presence of Columbia ACS, first and foremost our blog, and to work toward making that presence robust and supplementary of our on-campus activities. In addition to managing our group’s online presence from a content perspective, you are the primary technical resource for the group.
The technical skills required to be an effective media chair are minimal. Since you’ll likely choose 1 or 2 assistant media chairs next year, you personally may not need all these skills.

Using HTML…

You Feel Generally Comfortable With Basic HTML: Unless the board decides that a significant redesign of the blog or website is in order, you’re not going to have to display a real mastery of HTML. Most of your duties will be executed using the Google application, Blogger, that is extremely user-friendly and requires the a very general knowledge of HTML. However, you should expect to be the go-to person for technical matters with the blog and the website. Maintaining both these assets demands fluency with rudimentary HTML.

Using SFTP…

You Can Figure Out How to Use an Graphical FTP Program: To upload and move files around on Columbia’s system, you’ll need to use a program that supports SFTP (like WinSCP). Nothing too technical here, and you’ll receive instructions from the outgoing media chair on how this works.

THIS WEEK @ ACS

3/24 - 3/28

THURSDAY March 27
12:30 PM; JG 107

Info Session on Running for the ACS Board

We are holding an info session to 1) explain what each of the board positions entails, 2) encourage you to run 3) explain how to do so.

EVERY DAY This Week

Dean's Cup Tickets on Sale

Tickets are on sale this week from 11-2 every day in the lobby. When you buy your ticket, please tell them you want your purchase credited to ACS.

We Are the Champions

Columbia ACS named ACS Chapter of the Week!

Look how happy the board is:

Quinn is especially happy.

Eat that, Regent University Law School ACS Chapter!

Check out how awesome we are at the ACS National website.

Let's all face the facts. Columbia's ACS is clearly the best ACS chapter in the world. I mean, what other chapter can claim the national ACS moot court champions AND a terrorism-related-event-to-student ratio of 1.7?

So please, take a moment this weekend and congratulate yourself for being part of an unstoppable team of progressive law students. You deserve it. Watch this video, think about paying your dues, and just imagine President Jake Honigman with that 'stache in that outfit.

Signing off,
Your proud ACS Media Papa

Top Gun: A Conversation with Jeh Johnson, CLS '82

Today, Jeh Johnson, CLS '82, joined the Columbia Chapter of the ACS and BLSA for a conversation about his time as General Counsel of the Air Force and the rule of law in the military.

Mr. Johnson focused on the balance between a mainstream legal career and a commitment to public service. Using his own biography as a touchstone, Mr. Johnson related a story all too familiar to law students: his first days of legal methods with Professor Peter Strauss. His career path - as a competitor in the Stone moot court, an associate at multiple New York firms, an assistant U.S. Attorney, partner at Paul Weiss, and general counsel of the Air Force - represents an evolution into a complete attorney: a socially conscious, efficient, and compelling advocate. The two most important pieces of career advice Mr. Johnson offered were: 1. never us a script; 2. be a U.S. Attorney. His war stories were not only entertaining, but demonstrative of the processes, tactics, and characteristics that constitute elite advocacy.

Mr. Johnson cites his experience at the Air Force and working with presidential candidates as the heart of why he originally came to CLS: to be a public servant.

He left us with the succinct words of wisdom: "Never lose your public interest interest."

Columbia ACS and BLSA would like to thank Mr. Johnson for his entertaining and enlightening visit.

2006-07 ACS Board Bids You Adieu!

The outgoing 2006-07 ACS Board & Faculty Advisers thank you for a successful year. See you in 2007-08!



Back row: Amos Blackman, Jake Honigman, Matt Dunne, Prof. Michael Dorf, Andy Bradley
Front row: Nina Yadava, Alicia Washington, Katie Brandes, Zahra Egal, Jon Sherman, Prof. Gillian Metzger

Pictured separately: Whitney Dougherty, Tim Abbott

The Blog Remains the Same

Hey All,

I wanted to throw up a quick end-of-semester post for a few reasons. First, an immense debt of gratitude is owed to our outgoing ACS Media Chair, the incomparable Andy Bradley. Andy's management of this blog and endless energy and optimism have created a truly remarkable space for discussion and reflection and a world-class student blog.

Next, I wanted to point everyone to an instance of Columbia ACS in the news. Check out the article in the New York Sun and on Above the Law. Our very own ACS member Tim Abbott is quoted in The Sun discussing the offer of a faculty position to Matthew Waxman, a very well-credentialed and highly regarded official in the Bush State Department.

Finally, I invite you all to continue the wonderful dialogue housed on this blog throughout your summer exploits. Please feel free to blog about your experiences or any thoughts you may have in the coming months. Also, if you have any thoughts or suggestions for improving the blog, please don't hesitate to let me know. As next year's Media Chair, it is my sincere hope that this site will continue to be the "intellectual drumbeat" (as Andy likes to say) for the Columbia ACS community. With your help, I think we can do just that.

Good luck to all on finals and have a great summer. See you in the Fall.

Your Friendly Neighborhood ACS Media Chair,

Rob Weinstock

SCOTUS Haiku with Professor Michael Dorf

A few months back, we twisted Professor Dorf's arm until he agreed to generate a haiku or two in quick response to notable SCOTUS opinions. His first haiku concerns yesterday's Massachusetts v. EPA (.pdf link):

The Earth gets hotter.
Massachusetts can complain.
EPA comply.

Candidate Statement: Laird Nelson

Position: Vice President

As a participant this year in the ACS moot court competition and member of the 1L Planning Committee, I’ve had a chance to appreciate ACS and the role it plays here at CLS. Not only do I know more about the NSA and the Espionage Act then I ever imagined I would as a 1L, but I’ve also seen an amazing selection of speakers on a range of issues from religious freedom to the gossip on the 9th Circuit. As Vice President next year, I think I can help keep this trend going.

In particular, I’d like to focus on getting the membership active and encouraging people, in addition to simply attending our events, to become members and bring their own contributions to the table. The proud winner of the chocolate prize for recruiting 3 new members while tabling, I realize this isn’t an easy task, but there are definitely some options we can pursue – in addition to drafting our friends/roommates/strangers walking past. More quizzo nights, happy hours, and social events in general would go a long way to letting people know what ACS is actually about and how they can get involved. In addition, the 1L moot court program is a great way to bring ACS to the forefront, and I’d like to focus on encouraging all the 1Ls to join and take part in our events. Also to this end, ensuring that we schedule events that are related to the 1L curriculum, like Professor Cole’s recent lecture, would be a positive development. And everyone, not just 1Ls, would be attracted by an even greater expansion of our efforts at co-sponsoring events and bringing in a wide variety of speakers from academia, government, and the legal world to demonstrate the breadth of ACS’ commitment to the intersection of law and progressive policy.

Although I haven’t done a lot of work on the logistical side of ACS, in the past I’ve held leadership roles in a number of organizations, including running an inner-city tutoring program in Baltimore as an undergraduate. In this role I managed outreach events to encourage students to volunteer, planned activities during freshmen orientation to attract incoming students, and generally assisted with the project’s organizational aspects. In sum, I think my skills are a great match for the Vice President position, and I’d love to help make sure that next year ACS is an even more dynamic organization than it has been in the past.

Candidate Statement: Jake Honigman

Position: President

ACS, as I see it, serves two main purposes: 1) to provide our school at large with high quality programming on Constitution-related subject matter (speaker events, debates with the Federalist Society and whomever else wants some, blog); and 2) to run events that foster and strengthen a community of students who share a certain basic vision of the Constitution and the country (Quizzo, drinking heavily and trashing board members' apartments). This past year, I have run and helped with speaker events (one of which had Koronet's Pizza), DJed a party, and recovered the ACS banner when NYU stole it. Through it all, I have become attached to the organization. Next year I hope to serve it, and you, faithfully. Thank you for your vote.

Candidate Statement: Quinn Arntsen

Position: Events Chair

My name is Quinn Arntsen and I am running for the events chair and external relations chair. As a 1L I have been heavily involved with ACS: I am the assistant coach for the ACS moot court; a member of the 1L committee; and I brought Cass Sunstein to give a lecture earlier this spring.

Events Chair Statement:
My passion for bringing speakers to campus goes back to my days as an undergrad. During that time I was on a board whose sole purpose was to bring speakers and lectures to campus. Through that organization I was able to work with such speakers as Jon Stewart, Nadine Strossen, John Cleese, Pat Buchanan, and Sarah Weddington. This gave me a strong base of knowledge about the ins and outs of hosting and producing lectures. Thanks to ACS, I continued to be involved with bringing speakers during my first year at the law. Earlier this semester I brought Cass Sunstein to give a lecture on whether judges are political. I was completely in charge of the event and did everything from contacting Professor Sunstein to promoting the event and ordering food. The event was a great success and a number of people attended. This allowed me to gain first-hand experience regarding what is required for hosting events in the law school—there are a handful of hoops to jump through, and I was able to familiarize myself with them. Lectures are a primary component of what makes ACS such a great organization; this year alone the Columbia chapter of ACS will have hosted more than 50 events. I feel that my knowledge and experience can help this important tradition thrive.

External Relations Chair Statement:
As the assistant coach for the ACS Moot Court I had to reach out to members of New York City’s legal community in order to find attorney-judges for the internal competition. I found this to be a fun and interesting experience because it gave me the opportunity to chat with practicing lawyers from many backgrounds, including members of the New York City Chapter of ACS. During these conversations I learned that many attorneys would like more opportunities to interact with law school students. As the external relations chair I would try to use this experience and knowledge to set up more events where lawyers and law students could interact. For example, panel discussions where members of the NYC Chapter of ACS could discuss opportunities to stay involved with ACS after graduation; receptions where current students could chat with recent graduates about career opportunities; or outings with firms to discuss their pro bono opportunities. Furthermore, because I would already have a handful of contacts in the NYC Chapter of ACS, I think I could help strengthen the mentorship program. There is a large well of knowledge and experience that we can gain and learn from, if only we can find a way to tap it.

Candidate Statement: Katie Sullivan

Position: External Relations Chair

Vice President Statement:
My experience this past year as co-assistant media chair with ACS has shown my both that I want to be more involved in this organization and that I’d like to be involved in a different way. I think I’d bring two important traits to the vice president role with ACS: My organizational skills and my desire to work on the social side of this group. Maintaining databases, organizing sign-up sheets, keeping track of dues – these things appeal to the hyper-organized part of me. And I have experience performing these functions for groups, starting all the way back in high school, when I was secretary for National Honor Society. (Okay, I’m a dork…isn’t that what this is all about?) I think the academic event planning side of this group is amazing, but that’s not where my talents would be best utilized; I’d like to be more involved with the membership side. I also think I could bring a lot to the social aspects of ACS – I’m friendly (I hope you feel the same way) and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone involved with this group. I think this past semester was great, socially, and I’d like to continue having events like the parties at Jon and Tim’s apartments while also adding more for the moot court participants and for 1Ls early next semester. I think a happy hour for the mooters right after they find out they’ve been selected for the program would be a great way to start things off, and also for them to get to know their editors. I did the ACS moot court program this year, so I think I’d be well positioned to work on retention strategies. Finally, I hope to make it to the national convention this year, and keep our excellent relationship with national leadership. Being a part of ACS has been one of the most rewarding parts of my law school experience so far, and I hope to be able to keeping working with all of you as vice president!

External Relations Chair Statement:
I think I have the personality and the organizational skills to be an excellent liaison to other chapters of ACS and our practitioner’s community. I’m also interested in keeping track of our chapter’s alumni, both as part of the mentorship program and for networking and other events. My experience this past year as co-assistant media chair with ACS has shown my both that I want to be more involved in this organization and that I’d like to be involved in a different way. I also feel that the external relations chair could take some of the weight off of the vice president in terms of social planning, and if I’m elected for this chair I would love to be involved with that. Social planning in general seems to fit in with the external relations chair’s responsibilities, and I think many of the groups the chair liaises with – alumni, other chapters – would be good additions to/reasons to have social events. I’d love to expand the chair to include some of these correlated responsibilities.

Candidate Statement: Yafang Deng

Position: Finance Chair

Media Chair Statement:
At Columbia, ACS is recognized as hosting the most events throughout the year, and also for maintaining one of the only active student group blogs. After attending many ACS events, I decided to get more involved in the group by joining the media/events committee and later the 1L planning committee. I was interested in contributing to the ACS blog but could never seem to commit to actually writing a post. It wasn’t until second semester when the chance to attend a HLS conference motivated me to write two posts in reaction to the conference and the related CLS panel that I attended. As Media Chair, I want to connect the online aspects of ACS more closely with the rest of ACS. My goal would be to have an online event calendar with event info on the website linked to blog posts reacting to the events. Event posts would provide readymade content for the blog, helping to maintain the consistency of posts and encouraging more ACS members, especially 1Ls, to contribute.

Finance Chair Statement:
The Columbia Chapter of ACS stands out for the level and variety of activities it organizes at the law school throughout the year. I became interested in ACS as a 1L after attending many events, and I would like to help maintain the quantity and quality of events next year. Without funding from the student senate and from ACS national, none of this would be possible. As someone who is organized and detail-oriented, I would work to ensure that all funding requests and reimbursements are submitted in a timely manner, keeping the group running smoothly.

Candidate Statement: Rob Weinstock

Position: Media Chair

I would like to serve as the 2007-2008 ACS Media Chair. This year, I worked as one of the two assistants to Andy Bradley (the current Media Chair) and have greatly enjoyed helping to sustain and develop the electronic forum for the ACS community at Columbia and beyond. Serving as a non-board officer and on the 1L committee this year has given me an excellent sense of our organizational purpose and workings, and of the proper role for the blog within ACS. Before coming to law school, I co-founded a public policy discussion website, and, compounded by my work on the ACS blog this year, I have a deep and demonstrated commitment and understanding of using the internet as a communicative tool for progressive ideas and policies. The ACS blog is important as the intellectual back-beat (to borrow a phrase), constantly reminding us all to be engaged, reflective, and critical about our legal education and the legal profession which we will inherit. In the coming year, I hope to continue the steady and high-quality stream of content on the ACS blog and further integrate it into the social, academic, and operational work done by ACS.

Candidate Statement: Katie Brandes

Position: 3L Rep

Working on the board of ACS this year as Finance Chair showed me what a dedicated chapter we have at Columbia. After helping in small ways and big ways with the over 50 events that ACS hosted or co-sponsored this year I have come to see how big of an impact this organization has on promoting progressive views and debate in the law school community. I would like to continue to have the opportunity to work with this organization as a 3L rep. Our 1L board members, assistants, and planning committee have done a terrific job this year and I know that their enthusiasm will carry over to next year. By joining the Board as a 3L rep I would help provide continuity to the running of the board and help the board accomplish its goals for ACS. Plus, I provide the added bonus of having someone who knows about the budgets and accounting and that can never hurt.

Candidate Statement: Zahra Egal

Position: 3L Rep

I have had a longstanding interest in progressive politics and am very enthusiastic about the agenda, objectives and approach of the American Constitution Society. I was introduced to ACS while still in college and became involved with the organization as a Moot Court Assistant during 1L. Last summer, I attended the ACS Convention where I made connections with several other chapter leaders, met many of the speakers we had over the last year, and planned social events as a Washington, DC Summer Leader for ACS.

Over the last year as Vice President, I have continued to have positive experiences. I assisted in planning several substantive events and was responsible for bringing Tom Goldstein and David Cole to Columbia. However, my primary responsibility as Vice President was membership development. As part of this role, I planned most of the ACS social events, created the mentorship program, informed people about ACS National and organized the 1L Committee.

I believe that I would be an asset to ACS as a 3L representative. I have knowledge of the organization at the National level as well as the Columbia level. I have several ideas for events next year, including expanding the diversity of our speaker list to more policymakers and activists. As advisor to the 1L Committee, I developed personal relationships with many of the future leaders of ACS and believe that position prepared me to be a resource, as it taught me to guide without leading or controlling. I hope to have your support and would be happy to give you mine as your 3L representative.

CLS's Zaid A. Zaid — Do We Still Owe Iraq?

CLS ACS member and former Foreign Service Officer Zaid A. Zaid asks "Do We Still Owe Iraq?" in his review of Noah Feldman's What We Owe Iraq.

Zaid's review appears in the inaugural issue of the Harvard Law & Policy Review and you can download a .pdf file of the review here.

CLS ACS T-Shirt Ideas

Over the next few weeks, your ideas for the Columbia Law School ACS T-shirt will be posted to this thread. Send your t-shirt ideas to abradley (at) gmail (dot) com.

Let us know in the comments which shirts you like. Design elements of the t-shirt will be finalized later — right now we're trying to find a t-shirt-worthy statement or slogan that we'd enjoy wearing.

Potential Detail for Turn Left for Rights (added 2/05/07)



Turn Left for Rights (added 2/05/07)


Potential Pocket Detail for Zombie Founders (added 2/02/07)


Least Dangerous Branch (added 2/01/07)


Bench Legislation (added 2/01/07)


Zombie Founders (added 2/01/07)


The Dirt of Justice (added 2/01/07)

A Toast to the American Constitution Society, the Federalist Society, and the Agreed-upon Constitution

By popular demand, here's the toast from the Columbia Law School's ConLaw Mixer, held on January 23, 2007. The event was jointly hosted by the local chapters of the American Constitution Society, the Federalist Society, and the Constitution Law faculty here at Columbia.

When ACS President Jon Sherman asked me to say a few words for this event, I initially thought I’d focus on the differences in how the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society approach the Constitution.

I mean, every ACS member knows that the members of the Federalist Society look longingly at the days before pasteurization — that they fancy themselves as yeoman farmers on the New Jersey frontier where they dream of a world in which interchangeable parts will someday be a reality.

Similarly, every FedSoc member knows that when the members of the American Constitution Society hear someone talking about "penumbras formed by emanations," they promptly instruct the bartender that they’ll have what that guy’s having.

. . . but these differences are minor. Today, let’s celebrate the similarities — of which there are many. I’ve spent the past couple days pouring over this document, locating areas of significant agreement. I’ve found three areas of broad agreement about the Constitution. Interpretations upon which we can all agree, areas that we can all toast.


AREA #1: We agree on the many of the powers assigned either to the states or the various branches of our federal government.

What does this mean?

For the States, we shall not rest until states stop granting Letters of Marque and Reprisal and until they stop granting Titles of Nobility. We insist they settle their past debts using gold or silver.

For the Congress, we demand that it not shirk its duty to establish post Roads, to erect needful Buildings in D.C., and — as stated in Article 1, Section 5, clause 2 and reiterated the 20^th Amendment — that it meet at least once every year.

For the Judiciary, we insist it remain vigilant to the needs of justice, that it insure no Attainder of Treason work Corruption of Blood, and that no one shall not be convicted of Treason without a rigorous trial consisting of at least 2 witness presenting evidence against her.

Most importantly, we ask that the judiciary fully enforce the 11^th Amendment, whether that amendment actually means what it says . . . or whether actually every word of that amendment means the exact opposite of what it appears to mean.

Finally, concerning scope and appropriate exercise of Executive power, we… you know what, let’s just move on to Area #2.


AREA #2: I know I speak for everyone in this room when I say we supports the passage of the original 1^st Amendment — the Congressional Apportionment Amendment.

As many of you know, on September 25, 1789 the 1^st Congress introduced 12 — not 10 — amendments to the states as the Bill of Rights.

The original 2nd Amendment — barring Congress from granting itself immediately effective pay raises — became the 27^th Amendment on May 20, 1992. However, the original 1^st Amendment was only ratified by 11 states — 2 shy of passage at the time. Since Coleman v. Miller makes clear that all amendments are considered pending before the state indefinitely unless Congress establishes a deadline within which the states must act, only 27 states are now needed to ratify this amendment for its passage. Hey 27 states, pass the original 1^st Amendment.

If passed, the Congressional Apportionment Amendment would establish guidelines for the size of the House of Representatives. The Amendment’s math is a little hazy, but it ends with this important instruction: "there shall not be . . . more than one Representative for every 50,000 persons."

With a present US population of more than 300 million people, this introduces the possibility of a 6,000-member House of Representatives. I know I speak for everyone here when I say that if there’s one thing that the august body of the House needs to be truly effective, it’s to have 5,565 members added to its ranks.


In closing, Area #3 is really a pledge:

AREA #3: We pledge from this day forth that we shall write like the authors of our Constitution.

Not only shall we employ capitalization seemingly at random and use either British, tortured, or inconsistent spelling whenever possible, but — like the Constitution’s signatories — we shall sign our name to documents using absurd abbreviations.

I mean, why grace the document with your full name — it’s only a Constitution? These people, these founders, signed the Constitution with all the formality of someone signing a traffic ticket. William Blount went with the predictable "Wm." but William Livingston chose the path of a hipster, abbreviating "Wil:" Jonathan Dayton became "Jona:" Robert Morris became "Robt." . . . and anyone who has studied with Professor Hamburger will know who I’m talking about when I tell you that one of them merely signed "Gouv."

5 of the signatories determined that their signatures constituted little micro-sentences, worthy of ending with a period. We, too, shall end our signatures with periods. From this day forward, if you see a document signed "And: Brad:." know that it is me.


As you can see folks, our points of agreement are broad and substantial. So here’s to our agreements and our differences, here’s to our faculty and our constitutional societies, and here’s to the wig-and-tight-pants-wearing founders who made it all possible. Cheers!