Federalist Society, Washiongton DC

Founded in 1982, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is an organization of 40,000 lawyers, law students, scholars and other conservatives and libertarians who believe and trust that individual citizens can make the best choices for themselves and society. The Student Division includes more than 10,000 law students at 196 ABA-accredited law schools and international law schools, non-accredited law schools; the Lawyers Division includes 30,000 legal professionals and others interested in current intellectual and practical developments in the law, with chapters in 60 cities; and, the Faculty Division provides events and other tools to encourage constructive academic discourse to help develop rigorous traditional legal scholarship.

The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. It is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. The Society seeks both to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities.

We are committed to the principles of limited government and that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution. The Society’s main purpose is to sponsor fair, serious, and open debate about the need to enhance individual freedom and the role of the courts in saying what the law is rather than what they wish it to be.

We believe debate is the best way to ensure that legal principles that have not been the subject of sufficient attention for several decades receive a fair hearing. This entails reordering priorities within the legal system to place a premium on individual liberty, traditional values, and the rule of law. It also requires restoring the recognition of the importance of these norms among lawyers, judges, law students and professors. In working to achieve these goals, the Society has created a conservative and libertarian intellectual network that extends to all levels of the legal community.

We believe law schools and the legal profession are currently strongly dominated by a form of orthodox liberal ideology which advocates a centralized and uniform society. While some members of the academic community dissent from these views, by and large they are taught simultaneously with (and indeed as if they were) the law.

The Federalist Society redefines the terms of legal debate and provides a forum for legal experts of opposing views to interact with members of the legal profession, the judiciary, law students, academics, and the architects of public policy. Our expansion in membership, chapters and program activity has been matched by the rapid growth of the Society’s reputation and the quality and influence of our events.

We have fostered a greater appreciation for the role of separation of powers, federalism, limited constitutional government, and the rule of law in protecting individual freedom and traditional values. Overall, the Society’s efforts are improving our present and future leaders’ understanding of the principles underlying American law.

Ultimately, the Federalist Society provides opportunities for effective participation in the public policy process. The Society’s on-going programs encourage our members to involve themselves more actively in local, statewide, and national affairs and to contribute more productively to their communities.