Click here to join the symposium or see Zoom information below. The symposium will take place on January 27, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.

The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Cardozo Law Review, and the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy are pleased to host a voter rights and electoral reform symposium. Inspired by the tumultuous 2020 presidential election, the conference brings together leading scholars and advocates to discuss the evolution of voter suppression laws, modern-day gerrymandering, and innovative strategies for electoral reform.

Panel 1: The Evolution of Voter Suppression

Thursday, January 27 at 10:15 a.m.

While the nation battles the COVID-19 pandemic and recovers from an unprecedented presidential election, voting rights are under attack as states pass voter suppression laws. This panel will discuss the effects of voter fraud accusations and innovative ways to fight against voter suppression.

Moderator: Alma Magaña, Harold A. Stevens Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Cardozo School of Law

Panelists:

• Gilda R. Daniels: Professor of Law, University of Baltimore Law School

• Atiba R. Ellis: Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School

• Jorge Vasquez, Jr.: Chair of the Voting Rights Law Section, Hispanic National Bar Association

• Luis Fuentes-Rohwer: Professor of Law and Class of 1950 Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor, Indiana University Maurer School of Law

For more information on our panelists, click here.

Panel 2: Redistricting After the 2020 Census: Gerrymandering and Misrepresentation

Thursday, January 27 at 12:45 p.m.

The current redistricting cycle will be the first since the 2019 Supreme Court ruling that gerrymandering for party advantage cannot be challenged in federal court. Panelists discuss the pernicious threat of gerrymandering and the misrepresentation of minority communities, and how to thwart manipulative mapmakers.

Moderator: Ekow N. Yankah, Professor of Law, Cardozo School of Law

Panelists:

• Kathay Feng: National Director of Redistricting & Representation, Common Cause

• Michael Pernick: Redistricting Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

• Robert Yablon: Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Yurij Rudensky: Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

• Ming H. Chen: Visiting Professor of Law, University of California Hastings College of Law; Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School

For more information on our panelists, click here.

Panel 3: Electoral Reform

Thursday, January 27 at 2:30 p.m.

This panel focuses on strengthening election laws and improving election administration in light of the chaotic 2020 presidential election. Panelists explore original ideas to reform electoral participation, administration, and efficiency.

Moderator: Deborah Pearlstein, Professor of Law, Cardozo School of Law; Co-Director, Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy

Panelists:

• Ciara Torres-Spelliscy: Visiting Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law; Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

• Kira Romero-Craft: Director, Southeast Region, LatinoJustice PRLDEF

• Gowri Ramachandran: Senior Counsel, Election Reform, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

For more information on our panelists, click here.

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Please direct all questions about the event to Gianna Zapata at cardozosymposiaeditor@gmail.com.

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New York State CLE Credit:

This program of three online panels is approved for up to 4.5 transitional/non-transitional New York State CLE credits in the category “Areas of Professional Practice.” To receive CLE credits for a panel, you must attend that part of the program “live.” We cannot award CLE credits for watching a recorded version of any part of this program.

If you plan on receiving CLE credit, please register for a free CLE ticket by 5:00 p.m. the night preceding the event.

CLE Links:

Panel 1: Download the CLE materials here before the panel. Please submit the CLE code announced during this panel here.

Panel 2: Download the CLE materials here before the panel. Please submit the CLE code announced during this panel here.

Panel 3: Download the CLE materials here before the panel. Please submit the CLE code announced during this panel here.

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The Cardozo Law Review was established in 1979 and consistently ranks among the top law journals in the country. It publishes six issues per year, which contain articles and student notes on a variety of legal topics. The Law Review is dedicated to advancing empirical, interdisciplinary, and philosophical scholarship, as well as exploring cutting-edge national issues.

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The Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy is a vibrant center for scholarship and events, advancing the functioning of constitutional democracies in the United States and abroad.

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Zoom link: https://yeshiva-university.zoom.us/j/92183830795