Federalist Society
The Federalist Society is a non-partisan intellectual network of lawyers, judges, professors, and law students committed to the principles of:
- Freedom - the state exists to preserve freedom.
- Federalism - the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution.
- Judicial Restraint - it is the province of our judiciary to interpret laws, not create policy.
The Society was founded in the early 1980s by concerned scholars at the University of Chicago Law School and Harvard Law School to promote the discussion of these principles, which they felt were being neglected in law schools across the country. Through its many programs, publications, and local chapters, the Federalist Society seeks to educate the legal community about how limited, constitutional government based on strong rule of law can have a positive effect on law and public policy. To date, the Society has established lawyers chapters in most major American cities and student chapters at virtually every law school in the nation (see list of chapters).
The mission of the student chapter at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law is to enhance the diversity of thought on campus. It tries to meet this objective by hosting underrepresented voices and supplementing the classroom experience with open and balanced debate. While the chapter's membership is often comprised of those students who hold libertarian or conservative values, the chapter warmly welcomes people of all jurisprudential and political perspectives to attend our vibrant debates and speaking engagements. Past speakers include the Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, directors of beltway think tanks, documentary filmmakers, and professors from various prestigious law schools.
Members of the chapter are additionally invited to intimate lunches and social events with prominent guests. They are entitled to tremendous opportunities for career and professional networking through national conventions, regional conferences, and lawyers chapters across the country. Subscriptions to excellent publications like the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, fellowship opportunities, and job hunting resources are also complimentary to chapter members.
Officers
- Co-Presidents
Nicholas Clifford and Claudia Eder
Faculty advisor
- Tim Waters