Social Justice Workshop
Fall 2008 Workshop: Voting and the Law of Democracy
This year’s seminar, led by Professor Ancheta, explores the intersection of law and politics through an in-depth study of voting rights and the law of democracy. The foundations of American democracy have been in the limelight since the 2000 presidential election and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore. Law and the legal system continue to have powerful effects on implementation of the political process. Policy makers at all levels of government have been struggling to improve the institutions of democracy and voting, and constitutional law has been a major force in structuring nearly every aspect of democratic politics.
Through a detailed study of key election law issues—including the right to vote, reapportionment and redistricting, the protection of racial and language minority groups under the Voting Rights Act, election reform, ballot initiatives and direct democracy, political parties, and campaign finance regulation—the seminar addresses many of the core dilemmas of American democracy. An understanding of the law of voting and democracy is by necessity interdisciplinary, and the seminar explores both case law and academic literature drawn from legal scholarship, history, and political science. The seminar speakers reflect a variety of perspectives and are drawn from the worlds of academia, advocacy, and elected office.
Lectures are open to members of the university community and the general public.
*All seminars to begin at 4 p.m. on Thursdays in Bannan 333 (with the exception of Professor Avila’s presentation on Thursday, September 18 at 4 p.m. in Wiegand, Arts and Sciences Building)
Receptions will be held at 5 p.m. in Strong Common Room
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Jocelyn Benson (Wayne State University Law School)
Towards Full Participation: The History and Relevance of Language Assistance for English Learning Voters
Professor Benson serves as the founder and executive director of the Richard Austin Center on Election Law and Administration, and is a member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Election Law.
*Thursday, September 18, 2008
Joaquin Avila (Seattle University School of Law)
Obstacles to Latina/o Political Empowerment and Solutions
Professor Avila joined the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a national Latino civil rights advocacy organization in 1974. In private practice, he focused on voting rights issues and litigation.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Deep Gulasekaram (Santa Clara Law) and Karthick Ramakrishnan (Dept. of Political Science, UC Riverside)
Immigrant Political Participation and Non-Citizen Voting
Professor Gulasekaram served as Acting Assistant Professor at New York University School of Law and Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Loyola University New Orleans Law School.
Professor Ramakrishnan’s research focuses on political participation, civic voluntarism, and the politics of race, ethnicity, and immigration in the United States. He is a principal investigator on the first large-scale national survey of Asian American politics, and on a project on civic engagement in new growth regions.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Kathay Feng (California Common Cause)
Redistricting and Election Reforms
Ms. Feng is Executive Director of California Common Cause. Prior to joining Common Cause in 2005, she headed the Voting Rights and Anti-Discrimination Unit at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, where she helped build a statewide network of advocates on key policy issues such as voting rights, language rights, and consumer rights.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Martha Mahoney (University of Miami School of Law)
Electronic Voting
Professor Mahoney has published and lectured widely in the fields of domestic violence and race. She teaches courses in property and land use, criminal law, race and urban development, and public interest law.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Judy Nadler (Senior Fellow, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, SCU and former Mayor, and City Council Member, City of Santa Clara)
Campaign Ethics and Financing
Judy Nadler is responsible for programs in government ethics and ethical leadership at SCU. She has also served on the Santa Clara City Council, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Northern California Power Agency, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Michele Jawando (People for the American Way Foundation)
Shattering the Myth: An Examination of the New Politics of Voter Suppression
Ms. Jawando is National Campaign Manager of Election Protection and Legislative Counsel for PFAW, a nationwide campaign devoted to reforming the election process. She also serves as the Deputy Campaign Manager for PFAW Foundation’s Restore My Vote.
Fall 2008 Social Justice Workshop Flyer (PDF)
Previous Social Justice Workshops
Fall 2007 Social Justice Workshop (Law and Labor in the Global Economy) Flyer (PDF)
Fall 2006 Social Justice Workshop (Race, Economics, and Education) Flyer (PDF)
Fall 2005 Social Justice Workshop (Health Policy and the Law) Flyer (PDF)
Fall 2004 Social Justice Workshop (Transitional Justice) Flyer (PDF)
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