Redstate

By Alexham Posted in Federalist Society | Law — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

As promised, I am here in D.C. at the Federalist Society convention, and I will be providing live coverage of today and tomorrow's big events/speeches.

More below the fold

C. Boyden Gray, currently the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, will give the opening address at 9:00 a.m. The theme of this year's conference is "Shining City Upon a Hill: American Exceptionalism," and the good folks at the Federalist Society have pulled out all the stops in celebration of the organization's 25th anniversary. Indeed, four sitting Supreme Court justices will be attending the conference this year: Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito (i.e., the good ones). I think that speaks volumes about the amount of influence wielded by the Federalist Society on the jurisprudential landscape. Also attending the conference: Judge Robert Bork (the godfather of originalism), Attorney General Ed Meese, Solicitor General Ted Olson, Judge William H. Pryor Jr., Judge Janice Rogers Brown, Judge Frank Easterbrook, Judge Edith Jones, Judge Alex Kozinski, Judge Diane S. Sykes, Judge Michael McConnell, Dr. Jay Sekulow, Judge David Sentelle, Professor (and blogger extraordinaire) Eugene Volokh, to name just a few.

In short, it is law-geek heaven.

The big news, of course, is that President Bush will be speaking to the feddies tonight at the black-tie gala. And yes, yours truly will be there in a tux, blogging that bad boy live (assuming, of course, that I have access to wireless Internet service). We can thank the White House media people for granting RedState press credentials. They came through for your humble blogger, and their efforts are much appreciated.

Finally, Rudy Giuliani will be speaking to the feddies tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., and I will be live blogging his speech sans snark. So don't say that I never did anything for you Rudy fans. :)

O.k., that is it for now. Keep checking back, as this post will be updated throughout the day. The president's speech, however, will be a separate post.

Update No. 1: O.k., Boyden Gray, a long-time supporter of the Federalist Society, is starting things off. He is telling a funny story about the difficulty of convincing President George H.W. Bush to address the Federalist Society. He is now speaking about the United States's relationship with Europe, and how our economies are dependent upon one another. Methinks this is a speech that blackhedd would enjoy immensely. Me? I am ready for some originalist red meat.

Next up: The first showcase panel: "Beacon of Freedom: Does America have a special mission?" The panel will be moderated by Judge James Harvie Wilikinson of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the panelists will be: Michael Barone of U.S. News and World Report, Professor Richard Epstein, Professor Charles Fried, and Professor Gordon S. Wood.

After that, my hero: Justice Clarence Thomas.

O.k., Professor Gordon Wood is speaking right now, and begins by noting that there is a hostility in academia toward any assertion of "American Exceptionalism." He marks the beginning of "American Exceptionalism" to the American Revolution. He says that suddenly we viewed ourselves as the leader of the free world. He notes that from 1776 until 1917 (when the bolsheviks took over Russia), America was almost always the first county to recognize fledgling democracies. After that, the United States became much more cautious in this regard.

Now, Michael Barone is up. He begins by noting that for the longest period of time in our nation's history, the vast majority of Americans and their leaders accepted the notion of "American Exceptionalism." This changed, accordingly to Barone, with the 1960s, when many of our own citizens began to hold a dim view of their own country. He also notes that roughly 2/3 of all Americans believe in "American Exceptionalism," and the other third believe that America is no better than any other country.

Professor Epstein is now speaking. He is brillant, but man is he all over the place. Trying to summarize his comments is a lot like trying to find a good quote in a Judge Posner opinion, it ain't easy.

Finally, Professor Fried is taking his turn. He beings by noting that what makes America exceptional is its liberty. He notes that the greatest enemies of liberty are those from within. He says that the key to liberty is individualism, and that individualism is the notion that we are responsible for ourselves and what we make of our lives. He emphasizes that individualism is not the same as relativism. He also highlights the "glory of the market," which he says is the locus of free individuals cooperating with one another. This, in his view, is an expansion of liberty. And fwiw, I agree.

During the panel debate, Professor Wood made a comment that I think is worthy of highlighting. He said that "American Exceptionalism" must mean more than simply being a military or econmoic power, it has to be about having a worthy mission.