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FedSoc Forums — Business
FedSoc Forums

*This series was formerly known as Teleforums.

FedSoc Forums is a virtual discussion series dedicated to providing expert analysis and intellectual commentary on today’s most pressing legal and policy issues. Produced by The Federalist Society’s Practice Groups, FedSoc Forum strives to create balanced conversations in various formats, such as monologues, debates, or panel discussions. In addition to regular episodes, FedSoc Forum features special content covering specific topics in the legal world, such as:

Courthouse Steps: A series of rapid response discussions breaking down all the latest SCOTUS cases after oral argument or final decision

A Seat at the Sitting: A monthly series that runs during the Court’s term featuring a panel of constitutional experts discussing the Supreme Court’s upcoming docket sitting by sitting

Litigation Update: A series that provides the latest updates in important ongoing cases from all levels of government

The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speakers.

Latest Episodes:

2023 Annual Mike Lewis Memorial Teleforum: Big Data and the Law of War Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

Big Data is one of the most important resources in the world, yet the rules for its protection are just beginning to develop. The danger comes into focus by the possibility of a nation-state cyber operation attacking Big Data and having a major detrimental impact on the functioning of another nation-state. Consider, for example, a cyber attack corrupting, stealing, or destroying the records of important financial institutions, causing widespread confusion and panic. Would such an attack warrant a kinetic, lethal response, with bullets and bombs?
This issue implicates the UN Charter, the Law of War, International Humanitarian Law, jus in bello and jus ad bellum, attempts to formulate rules in the Tallinn Manual, conflicting priorities among nations, and pure geopolitics. Professor Paul Stephan of the University of Virginia Law School and John Eisenberg, Former Deputy Counsel to the President and NSC Legal Advisor, joined us to explore the issue.
Mike Lewis was a naval aviator, and then a renowned law professor, widely admired by other scholars and practitioners. He was a great friend of the Federalist Society, appearing at dozens of lawyer and student chapter events, as well as the 2014 National Convention. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Society's International & National Security Law Practice Group. Each year, the Practice Group holds a Teleforum in his honor.
Featuring:
--John Eisenberg, Former Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President, Former NSC Legal Advisor
--Prof. Paul Stephan, John C. Jeffries, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
--[Moderator] Vince Vitkowsky, Partner, Gfeller Laurie LLP

Courthouse Steps Preview Harrington v. Purdue Pharma Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Harrington v. Purdue Pharma in December 2023. The case presents the issue of the authority of a court to provide a release from liability against non-consenting victims in favor of third parties who are not in bankruptcy.
This case involves releases in favor of the non-debtor Sackler family who owned Purdue Pharma and are accused of fueling the national opioid epidemic. Some say the bankruptcy system provides a more effective and efficient mechanism for resolving mass torts. Others say it is a vast expansion of court power without statutory or Constitutional authority.
Please join us as Professor Anthony Casey and Clifford White debate the merits of the case and discuss what to expect at the Supreme Court.

Case Preview: Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer - Considering ADA “Tester” Standing Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

In the fall 2023 term, the Court is currently set to consider a case of whether a civil rights "tester," someone who collects information as to whether a place of public accommodation is in compliance with laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) without an intent actually to visit those places or use those services, has standing to sue such businesses.
At issue is whether "tester" Deborah Laufer, had standing to bring suit against Acheson Hotels. Laufer alleged that the website for a hotel operated by Acheson Hotels had insufficient information to comply with the ADA and accommodate those with disabilities. Acheson Hotels argued that since Ms. Laufer had no intention of visiting the hotel in question, she, therefore, had no standing to sue.
Ms. Laufer lost in district court, which threw out her suit for lack of standing, but the First Circuit reinstated her lawsuit, ruling she did have standing. That prompted an appeal by Acheson Hotels to the Supreme Court, which granted certiorari.
Interestingly, after certiorari was granted, Ms. Laufer dropped her case in district court after an attorney who has represented her in other cases was disciplined by a federal Court located in Maryland. Ms. Laufer's lawyers thus also asked SCOTUS to dismiss the Acheson Hotels case for mootness, given that the district case is no longer live.
Oral argument in Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer is still set for October 4, 2023.
Join us as Karen Harned, who filed an amicus brief in the case, provides a preview of the case and the issues worth tracking in this conversation.
Featuring:
Karen Harned, President, Harned Strategies LLC
(Moderator) Joel Nolette, Associate, Wiley Rein LLP

Litigation Update: Jackson v. Raffensperger Sep 05, 2023

Show notes

In Jackson v. Raffensperger, 316 Ga. 383 (2023), the Supreme Court of Georgia struck down the state’s licensing law for lactation care providers. The law, which was the first of its kind in the nation, would have forced hundreds of women out of work. The Court held the law unconstitutional under the Georgia constitution’s due process clause. With this decision, Georgia joined other states such as Texas and Pennsylvania in recently distinguishing the state’s standard of review from the federal standard of review.
Renée Flaherty and Jaimie Cavanaugh, both attorneys with the Institute for Justice, joined us to discuss the case.
Featuring:
--Renée Flaherty, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice
--[Moderator] Jaimie Cavanaugh, Attorney & Legislative Counsel, Institute for Justice

Litigation Update: Louisiana v. EPA Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Efforts to achieve “environmental justice” have been a top priority of the Biden Administration and its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As stated in the EPA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, “EPA will center its mission on the integration of justice, equity, and civil rights across the nation’s environmental protection enterprise,” (27).
Accordingly, the EPA has invoked Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in some of its environmental emissions investigations even where the situation appears compliant with applicable environmental laws. One such investigation recently occurred in Louisiana where the EPA found “significant evidence” of disparate adverse impacts on Black residents of St. John the Baptist Parish, St. James Parish, and an Industrial Corridor in the area. These disparate impacts were alleged to be the result of poor air quality despite the fact that the EPA had deemed the relevant emissions compliant with applicable laws shortly before opening their civil rights investigation.
In May 2023, the Louisiana Attorney General filed suit against the EPA, arguing that EPA lacked authority to impose disparate-impact based mandates under Title VI and that the agency had unconstitutionally delegated power to special interest groups to direct how EPA conducted investigations. Shortly after the State sought a preliminary injunction, the EPA abruptly abandoned its pending investigations, although it continues to adhere to its Title VI disparate-impact regulations generally. Briefing is ongoing and a hearing has been set for January 9, 2024. Click here to view the complaint.
Drew Ensign served as Special Assistant Solicitor General and Counsel to the State of Louisiana during this matter. In this recorded webinar he delivered a Litigation Update on the case.
Featuring:
--Drew C. Ensign, Owner, Drew C. Ensign PLLC & Special Assistant Solicitor General, State of Louisiana

Race & School Discipline Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

During President Obama’s second term, the U.S. Education Department began sharing studies indicating that black students were disciplined at higher rates than their white peers. These data were viewed as evidence of racial bias, and, in 2014, the Education and Justice Departments jointly published a resource package to help American schools “…promote fair and effective disciplinary practices that will make schools safe, supportive, and inclusive for all students,” (DOJ).
Supporters applauded these steps from the federal government saying they reduced schools’ racial disparities in disciplinary decisions thereby curtailing the “school-to-prison pipeline.” Critics countered that the guidance misstated federal civil rights law, encouraged racial discrimination in the allocation of school discipline to produce demographic parity, and left classrooms less functional.
The 2014 resource package was ultimately rescinded in 2018 under the Trump Administration, only to be largely restored by the Biden Administration. In May 2023, the Education and Justice Departments published a “Resource on Confronting Racial Discrimination in Student Discipline.”
What is the best path forward for appropriate and meaningful disciplinary decision making in American schools? How will our school children be best served? What does the evidence really show about race and school discipline? Please join us as an expert panel discusses the legal and educational contours of the most recent guidance on race and school discipline.
Featuring:
--Dr. Juan Del Toro, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
--Max Eden, Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
--Kristen Harper, Vice President for Public Policy and Engagement, Child Trends
--Dan Morenoff, Executive Director, American Civil Rights Project
--[Moderator] Alison Somin, Legal Fellow, Center for the Separation of Powers, Pacific Legal Foundation

Conservatives Talk Presidential Power: The Hunter Biden Investigations Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

John Malcolm and John Yoo continued their discussion of presidential power with a focus on the Hunter Biden investigations. They will take a look at the probes surrounding Hunter Biden’s business dealings, the role of President Joe Biden, and the competing roles of Congress and the executive branch in the investigations.
Featuring:
--John G. Malcolm, Vice President, Institute for Constitutional Government, Director of the Meese Center for Legal & Judicial Studies and Senior Legal Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
--Prof. John C. Yoo, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

Conservatives Talk Presidential Power: Trump's Indictment in Georgia Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

John Malcolm and John Yoo examined the indictment of former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election probe in Georgia as he now faces 91 charges across four separate indictments. They will discuss the facts and law of Trump's latest indictment and the intersection between criminal law, presidential elections, and the Constitution.
Featuring:
--John G. Malcolm, Vice President, Institute for Constitutional Government, Director of the Meese Center for Legal & Judicial Studies and Senior Legal Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
--Prof. John C. Yoo, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

Litigation Update: Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

Fairfax County, Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology – commonly known as TJ – is the #1 ranked public high school in the country.
In 2020, the Fairfax County School Board enacted measures intended to increase racial diversity in TJ’s student body. These policies changed the school’s admissions process and drew criticism from some TJ parents, locals, and national observers. The changes included discontinuing the admissions test, allowing race-consciousness, and capping the number of students allowed admission from each of the district’s 23 middle schools. In the end, the new system led to a reduction in the number of Asian-American students admitted to TJ.
In March 2021, Coalition for TJ sued the Fairfax County School Board over the new admissions policies alleging discrimination against applicants of Asian heritage. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted Coalition for TJ’s motion for summary judgment in February 2022. Fairfax County School Board then appealed the District Court’s permanent injunction to the Fourth Circuit. The Fourth Circuit stayed the District Court order. The Coalition for TJ filed an emergency stay application to the U.S. Supreme Court but was denied; the case was remanded to the Fourth Circuit and heard in September 2022. In May 2023, the Fourth Circuit reversed the District Court allowing the new admissions plan to be enacted.
Coalition for TJ’s legal representation, Pacific Legal Foundation, is now planning to file a cert petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the lead up to filing, Erin Wilcox will join us to discuss the case and offer an update on the latest events.
Featuring:
--Erin Wilcox, Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation

How Reliable are Corporate ESG Ratings? Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) investing has grown in popularity in recent years. As a result of major investment firms and individual stockholders making ethical and social considerations in their investing, firms and corporations have developed ESG rating matrices to grade publicly traded companies on their commitment to diversity and the fight against climate change.
These ranking systems, however, have raised eyebrows in light of recent news that major tobacco companies are receiving higher ESG scores than the electric car manufacturer, Tesla. Serious questions are being raised about the reliability of these rating systems as tools for investors, and whether a company's focus on diversity and inclusion on its board of directors should be considered an ethical investment, even if its main product is responsible for millions of deaths every year.

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