June 30, The Future Of The Voting Rights Act Sponsored By FairVote And The New America Foundation

The Future of the Voting Rights Act
Sponsored by FairVote and the New America Foundation

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

New America Foundation
1899 L St NW, 4th Floor
Washington, DC 20036

This is an opportune time to renew the national conversation about the future of voting rights. On June 22, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its much-anticipated ruling in the NAMUDNO case (Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder). Many long-time experts feared that the Roberts court might overturn or substantially rewrite forty years of voting rights jurisprudence. Instead, a strong majority upheld the Voting Right Act . Yet some Court experts see the opinion as suggesting Congress should revise the law to head off further challenges. Others see it as important for Congress to act to protect and expand voting rights on measures beyond the Voting Rights Act.

At the same time, ongoing demographic shifts in our national mosaic are creating more situations where alternatives to single-seat districts, including proportional voting methods, may be necessary to ensure diverse representation, particularly in light of the Court's ruling this year on a voting rights case limiting the use of the Voting Rights Act to create "inflouence districts." T

The New America Foundation and FairVote have organized "The Future of the Voting Rights Act" in which some of the nation's top voting rights experts will come together to review NAMUDNO and its impacts, and think more expansively about voting rights and representation.

To RSVP for the event contact Stephanie Gunter at (202) 596-3367 or gunternewamerica [dot] net

Agenda

8:30 - 9:00 a.m .
Coffee and light breakfast

9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Welcome
Steven Hill
Director, Political Reform Program, New America Foundation The Hon. John Anderson Former Congressman (R-IL) , FairVote Board Member

9:15 a.m. - 9:35 a.m.
Keynote

Congressman Bobby Scott

9:35 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
The Supreme Court and Minority Voting Rights: A Discussion of NAMUDNO and Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor The Hon. Jamin Raskin Maryland State Senator, (D-20) Director of the Law and Government Program, Washington College of Law

Edward Hailes, Jr.
Senior Attorney, The Advancement Project

Kristen Clarke
Co-director, Political Participation Group of the NAACLP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Nathaniel Persily
Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law and Political Science, Columbia Law School

Lisa Bornstein
Senior Counsel, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

Moderator
Rob Richie
Executive Director, FairVote - The Center for Voting and Democracy

11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Break

11:15 am - 12:30 pm
After NAMUDNO: Fair Representation in a Changing America

Myrna Pérez
Brennan Center, Counsel on Democracy

Jon Greenbaum
Legal Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Jason Harris
Legislative Director for Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL)

Steven Mulroy
Associate Professor of Law, University of Memphis School of Law Shelby County Board of Commissioners

Michael McDonald
Associate Professor of Government and Politics, George Mason University Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution

Amy Ngai
Director, Program for Representative Government, FairVote

Moderator
Steven Hill
Director, Political Reform Program, New America Foundation

To RSVP for the event contact Stephanie Gunter at (202) 596-3367 or gunternewamerica [dot] net