January 26 Discussion of Kelo v. New London with Jeff Benedict

Please join the Houston Lawyers Chapter of The Federalist Society on Tuesday, January 26, for a breakfast discussion of:

Kelo v. New London

Jeff Benedict

Jeff Benedict is an award-winning investigative journalist and the best-selling author of nine books. He has been a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, and the Hartford Courant. His books have been the basis for features on 60 Minutes, ABC News 20/20, Dateline, HBO Real Sports and the Discovery Channel. He is a Distinguished Professor at Southern Virginia University, where he teaches advanced writing. He holds a J.D., an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in History and he previously practiced law in Connecticut. His recent book LITTLE PINK HOUSE: A True Story of Defiance and Courage (Grand Central Publishing, January ‘09) chronicles the epic story behind the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous decision on eminent domain – Kelo v. New London.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 7:45 - 9:00 a.m

Baker Botts L.L.P. • One Shell Plaza , 32nd Floor • 910 Louisiana St .

Please RSVP by Friday, January 22, at houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

October 23, 2009, Discussion of Land Use Policy with Cato Sr. Fellow Randal O'Toole

Please join the Houston Lawyers Chapter of The Federalist Society on Friday, October 23, for a breakfast discussion of urban land use and transportation policy:

Urban Land Use and Transportation: Solutions Without Government Regulation

Randal O'Toole

Cato Institute, Senior Fellow

Randal O'Toole is a Cato Institute Senior Fellow working on urban growth, public land, and transportation issues. O'Toole's research on national forest management, culminating in his 1988 book, Reforming the Forest Service, has had a major influence on Forest Service policy and on-the-ground management. His analysis of urban land-use and transportation issues, brought together in his 2001 book, The Vanishing Automobile and Other Urban Myths, has influenced decisions in cities across the country. In his most recent book, The Best-Laid Plans, O'Toole calls for repealing federal, state, and local planning laws and proposes reforms that can help solve social and environmental problems without heavy-handed government regulation. O'Toole is the author of numerous Cato papers. He has also written for Regulation magazine as well as op-eds and articles for numerous other national journals and newspapers. O'Toole travels extensively and has spoken about free-market environmental issues dozens of cities. An Oregon native, O'Toole was educated in forestry at Oregon State University and in economics at the University of Oregon.

Friday, October 23, 2009, 7:45 - 9:00 a.m

Baker Botts L.L.P. • One Shell Plaza , 32nd Floor • 910 Louisiana St .

Please RSVP by Wednesday, October 21, at houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

October 14, 2009, Texas Supreme Court Update with Justice Scott Brister

Please join the Houston Lawyers Chapter of The Federalist Society for our annual review of key cases decided during the Texas Supreme Court’s recently concluded 2008/2009 Term. This year’s review will be presented by:

The Honorable Scott Brister

Andrews & Kurth LLP

Former Justice, Texas Supreme Court

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Registration and Buffet Begins at 11:30 a.m.
Program Begins at 12:00 p.m.
Houston Club • 811 Rusk St. #700

$35 paid online in advance
$20 for government employees, paid online in advance


Please RSVP by Monday, October 12
Please click here to RSVP and pay in advance.

http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=190843
Email RSVPs also accepted at houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

CLE Credit Requested. Seating is limited.

UPDATED: July 9 -- U.S. Supreme Court Term in Review

Please join the Houston Lawyers Chapter of The Federalist Society for our annual review of key cases decided during the United States Supreme Court's recently concluded 2008/2009 Term. This year's panelists include:

The Honorable Jeff Brown
Justice, Fourteenth Court of Appeals

The Honorable Edith H. Jones
Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals
for the Fifth Circuit

J. Brett Busby
Partner, Bracewell & Giuliani L.L.P.

Professor Alexander Volokh
University of Houston Law Center

(Due to a scheduling conflict, Chief Justice Phillips is no longer able to participate. We thank Brett Busby for agreeing to join our panel in Chief Justice Phillips's stead.)

The panelists will review numerous cases including, among others: Caperton v. Massey (recusal of elected state judges); Northwest Austin Muni. Util. Dist. No. 1 v. Holder (Voting Rights Act); Ricci v. DeStefano (reverse discrimination); Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts (right of accused to confront witnesses relating to scientific evidence); and Safford United School Dist. No. 1 v. Redding (strip search of public school student).

Thursday, July 9, 2009
Registration and Buffet Begins at 6:30 p.m.
Program Begins at 7:00 p.m.
Beck’s Prime • 1001 E. Memorial Loop (Memorial Park)

$25 paid online in advance
$15 for government employees, paid online in advance


Please RSVP by Tuesday, July 7.
Please click here to RSVP and pay in advance.
(http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=186191)
Email RSVPs also accepted at houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

CLE Credit Requested. Seating is limited.

June 18 luncheon

Judge Sotomayor, the Confirmation Process, and the Future of the Court

featuring

Thomas H. Dupree, Jr.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Please join us for a luncheon meeting, where former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Thomas H. Dupree, Jr., will discuss President Obama's nomination of Judge Sotomayor.

Thomas H. Dupree, Jr. is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He is a member of the firm's litigation department and its Appellate and Constitutional Law practice group, and is the hiring partner for the DC office. Mr. Dupree is an experienced trial and appellate advocate. He has argued more than 60 appeals in the federal courts, including in all thirteen circuits and before five en banc courts, and has represented clients throughout the country in a wide variety of trial and appellate matters, including cases involving punitive damages, class actions, product liability, arbitration, intellectual property, employment, and constitutional challenges to federal and state statutes.

Mr. Dupree graduated cum laude from Williams College, and with Honors from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as an Editor of the University of Chicago Law Review. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Jerry E. Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Registration Begins at 11:45 a.m.
Program Begins at 12:00 noon
Houston Club • 811 Rusk

$35 paid online in advance
$25 for law students / summer associates paid online in advance
$20 for government employees, paid online in advance

Please RSVP by Tuesday, June 16.
Please click here to RSVP and pay in advance.
(http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=184965)
Email RSVPs also accepted at houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

CLE credit will be requested.

June 16 -- Texas legislative update featuring Jim Grace

Our June meeting will feature Jim Grace, chair of the Texas governmental relations section of Baker Botts L.L.P., who will present an update on the 2009 Texas legislative session.

Mr. Grace counsels clients on corporate and government relations matters, and advises federal and state political action committees on compliance with campaign finance laws. He has extensive experience in a wide range of legal, governmental, and political matters, having served as both an in-house counsel and private-practicing lawyer. He also has actively participated in a wide range of federal, state, and local political campaigns.

Prior to joining Baker Botts, Mr. Grace served as director of Texas State Relations and senior counsel for CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Before serving in an in-house counsel capacity, he was a member of a Houston-based law firm where his practice concentrated on merger and acquisition transactions, securities offerings, and general corporate matters for companies involved in oil and gas exploration and production; oilfield and energy services; natural gas liquid processing; propane and heating oil; and chemical production and distribution.

Mr. Grace was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy by the president of the United States and currently serves with a reserve unit.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 7:45 - 9:00 a.m

Baker Botts L.L.P. • One Shell Plaza, 32nd Floor • 910 Louisiana St.

Please RSVP by Monday, June 15, at houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

Report on Arguments in Ricci v. DeStefano

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in Ricci v. DeStefano, one of the cases that will be discussed by Greg Coleman at our lunch event on May 21. You can read Bloomberg's report on the oral arguments here.

May 21 program featuring Greg Coleman

The Northwest Austin MUD and Ricci Civil Rights Cases:

A View from the Podium

featuring

Gregory S. Coleman
Yetter, Warden & Coleman, L.L.P.

Former Texas Solicitor General Gregory S. Coleman argued two important civil rights cases to before the U.S. Supreme Court this term, Northwest Austin M.U.D. v. Holder and Ricci v. DeStefano. Mr. Coleman will present his thoughts on the oral arguments and the implications of these cases for the Court's civil rights jurisprudence.

Northwest Austin M.U.D. v. Holder challenges the constitutionality of the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act. It presents the question of whether the Petitioner utility district is eligible to "bail out" from the preclearance requirement, and whether Congress provided sufficient justification of current voting discrimination when extended the requirement in 2006 for another twenty-five years.

Ricci v. DeStefano concerns firefighters' claims that New Haven city officials violated the Equal Protection Clause and Title VII by discarding the results of certain civil-service examinations to achieve racial proportionality in candidates selected. Petitioners qualified for promotion under a race-blind, merit-selection process mandated by local law but were denied the positions by the city because of their race and racial disparities in the examinations’ outcome. City officials refused to promote the successful candidates and left the vacancies unfilled, intending to repeat the competition with the aim of awarding a higher proportion of the promotions to minority candidates.

Mr. Coleman heads Yetter, Warden & Coleman's appellate litigation practice.

Thursday, May 21, 2009
Registration Begins at 11:45 a.m.
Program Begins at 12:00 noon
Houston Club • 811 Rusk

$35 paid online in advance

$20 for government employees, paid online in advance


Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 19.
Please click here to RSVP and pay in advance.
(http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=182295)
Email RSVPs also accepted at houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

1.0 Hour CLE Approved. Seating is limited.

Update: Max capacity reached for April 15

Due to overwhelming response, we have reached our capacity for reservations for the April 15 CLE luncheon at South Texas College of Law.

If you have reserved a spot and are unable to attend, please let us know so we can offer your space to somebody from the waiting list. If you wish to attend and have not already sent your rsvp, please do so as soon as possible so we can add you to the waiting list. We expect to be able to accommodate many people from the waiting list after we confirm how many STCL students are expected to attend.

Update: April 15 Program on "What Should We Do About the Mortgage and Foreclosure Crisis"

The Templeton Debate and Lecture Series on Freedom

co-sponsored by the Houston Lawyers and South Texas College of Law Students Chapters of The Federalist Society

presents

Prof. Todd J. Zywicki
George Mason University School of Law

Professor Zywicki will be exploring the causes of the mortgage crisis and the subsequent causes and responses to the resulting foreclosure crisis. In particular, the presentation will examine the economic and legal factors that led to the real estate and mortgage boom and the economic and legal factors that have caused the foreclosure crisis, including differences in state laws that have exacerbated the foreclosure crisis. Finally, Professor Zywicki will discuss various proposals to respond to the crisis, including proposed changes to the bankruptcy laws, federal regulation of consumer credit, and related ideas.

also featuring commentators
Prof. Matthew Festa, South Texas College of Law
and Michael Dokupil, SFC Capital Management


Wednesday, April 15, 2009
12 noon, Registration and lunch
12:15 p.m., Program
South Texas College of Law • 1303 San Jacinto Street
1.0 hours CLE Credit approved

There is no cost for this event. However, because seating is limited, reservations are required. We will confirm all reservations by return email.

The event will be publicized to the Houston bar and to South Texas student body, so please respond promptly to save your spot! We cannot guarantee that we will have a seat or a lunch for anyone without a confirmed reservation.

Please R.S.V.P. to houston.fed.soc@swbell.net.

Templeton Debate and Lecture Series on Freedom event on April 15

We are pleased to announce that we will be co-sponsoring a lunch with the South Texas College of Law Students Chapter. As part of the Templeton Debate and Lecture Series on Freedom event, Prof. Todd J. Zywicki of George Mason University School of Law will speak on the subject of "What Should We Do About the Mortgage and Foreclosure Crisis." The event will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at South Texas College of Law. Additional details will be announced soon.

Breakfast Discussion of Economic Crisis with Michael Dokupil

Tuesday, March 31, 2008

7:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Baker Botts L.L.P. • One Shell Plaza, 910 Louisiana • 32nd Floor

Michael Dokupil has been following the development of the current economic crisis since 2007, and he anticipated many of the current credit problems. Michael will discuss the factors that precipitated the recession and how they might have been prevented, current efforts to bring the economy back in line and their chances of success, and where the country, and the world, are headed.

WARNING: This will put a damper on your day.

Michael Dokupil is a principal of SFC Capital Management, an investment management company he co-founded with Matthew Johnson in 1999. SFC manages a short-term, proprietary equity trading strategy and a "fund of funds" invested in various hedge funds.

Michael has been active in various organizations that seek to limit government’s role and promote individual opportunity. He serves on the boards of Americans for Limited Government, which provides research, analysis, and tools to enable citizens to hold government accountable, and Choices in Education for Neighborhood Centers, which helps people who might otherwise "fall through the cracks" improve their lives and their communities through support, education, and assistance. Michael co-founded Americans for Better Justice which promotes the selection of deeply qualified justices to the US Supreme Court. Leadership Houston recognized Michael's leadership and positive impact on our community by including him in its Class XXVI.

Michael received his B.A in Political Science and M.S. in Economics from Baylor University. At Baylor Michael held numerous leadership roles and was elected Student Body Treasurer. Upon completing his masters, Michael was asked to stay on and teach Intro to Microeconomics and Intro to Macroeconomics for a year at Baylor.

Please join us for one of our regular breakfasts with judges, legislators, and civil leaders to hear a presentation by Michael Dokupil and then join in a roundtable discussion.

There is no cost for this event. Please R.S.V.P. to mailto:houston.fed.soc@swbell.net/omailto:houston.fed.soc@swbell.net/t_blank.