The Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout is hosting its third annual Civil Liberties Symposium, Monday, April 18.
The symposium, from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center, Northwoods Room, is free and open to the public. No registration is required.
“The primary goal is to educate people about important civil liberty controversies through civil and rational dialogue from different points of view,” said MCSII Director Tim Shiell. “The presentations will focus on some aspect of civil liberties and their relationship to institutions, especially government and innovation.”
The five presentations will each be followed by a respondent offering comments to add perspectives on the issues.
- “Climate Justice: The Role of the Courts in Advancing Environmental Rights,” with Elizabeth Wheat, associate professor in public and environmental affairs at UW-Green Bay. Wheat will discuss how some courts have ruled in cases involving conflicts between property rights and environmental protections focusing on how appeals to civil liberty can be an effective way for groups, especially marginalized groups, to protect their environments.
- “Some Observations on Separation of Powers and the Wisconsin Constitution,” with Chad Oldfather, professor of law at Marquette University. Oldfather will discuss the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches under the Wisconsin Constitution, with special attention to the right to vote and redistricting issues.
- “I Fought the Law and the First Amendment Won: Rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court Protect Musical Expression,” with Eric Kasper, professor of political science and director of UW-Eau Claire’s Menard Center for Constitutional Studies. Kasper will discuss Supreme Court rulings on legal controversies and censorship involving musical expression.
- “Anti-orthodoxy, Inclusion, and the Advocacy of Violence,” with Shiell. He will discuss the role of anti-orthodoxy and inclusion in expressive legal rights with special attention on Brandenburg v. Ohio, with distinction between abstract advocacy of violence and incitement of imminent violence.
- “A Survey of Anti-Protest Laws Enacted in the Past Two Years,” with Azhar Majeed, Civil Liberties Attorney.” Majeed will discuss recent laws that increase restrictions and penalties for certain forms of protest in the wake of the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests.
