ACS and Lambda Legal along with the Georgia Lawyer Chapter of ACS and the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia presented a Symposium hosted at Emory Law School by the Emory ACS Student Chapter and Emory EGALA on “Lawrence v. Texas Five Years Out: Can The Promises Of Liberty And Equality Be Fulfilled?”

When the Supreme Court issued Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, it overruled its own precedent in Bowers v. Hardwick and, citing liberty interests and invoking equality principles, struck down the remaining state laws criminalizing private consensual intimacy. Beginning the day it was issued, the case has sparked continuing debate over its jurisprudential underpinnings, central meaning and likely impact. Five years later, it is time to take a fresh look at Lawrence and consider its effect to date. Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority, noted that, “As the Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke its principles in their own search for greater freedom.” With that perspective in mind, this conference was an occasion to look forward and explore, with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity, how the law should advance.

With keynote by Paul Smith, Partner at Jenner & Block, the Supreme Court litigator who argued Lawrence in cooperation with Lambda Legal, as well as panels of experts in the field who represented a variety of viewpoints, this symposium was engaging for all who attended. The event was a lively discussion on key constitutional and legal issues affecting the equality, liberty and daily lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Friday, April 11, 2008, 12 noon to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Tull Auditorium, Gambrell Hall, Emory Law School, Atlanta, Georgia

12 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Networking Lunch

1 to 1:15 p.m.
Welcome
Dean David Partlett. Emory Law School

1:15 to 2 p.m.
Keynote Address
Paul Smith, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP; Board Chair, American Constitution Society for Law and Policy; Board Member, Lambda Legal

2 to 3:30 p.m.
Panel 1: Looking Back At Lawrence v. Texas On Decision Day and Over The Past Five Years

Moderator:
Anthony E. Varona, Associate Professor of Law and Director, Doctor of Juridical Sciences (S.J.D.) Program, American University Washington College of Law

Panelists:
Dale Carpenter, Visiting Professor, South Texas College of Law; Associate Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School

Nan Hunter, Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School

Susan Sommer, Senior Counsel, Lambda Legal

William B. Turner, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Emory Law School

3:30 to 3:45 p.m.
Break

3:45 to 5:15 p.m.
Panel 2: Looking Forward On Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Where Should The Law Go From Here?

Moderator:
Liz Seaton, Deputy Director of Programs, American Constitution Society for Law and Policy

Panelists:
Jon W. Davidson, Legal Director, Lambda Legal

Lynn Hogue, Professor of Law, Georgia State University College of Law

Leslye M. Huff, Managing Member of Huff Law, LLC, and Board Member, National Black Justice Coalition

Jennifer Levi, Associate Professor of Law, Western New England School of Law; Senior Staff Attorney, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders
5:15 to 5:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Robert Schapiro, Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor of Law, Emory Law School

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Closing Reception, Sponsored by: