Secession, Nullification and State Rights: a Symposium

The University of Arkansas School of Law will present a symposium on state rights and secession 1-5:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in the E.J. Ball Courtroom. The symposium is free and open to the public and qualifies for four hours of continuing legal education for attorneys.

The symposium, Cooper's Shadow: Secession, Nullification and State Rights, Circa 2013, will examine current claims that state rights are supreme, nullification a state prerogative, and secession an option worth considering in response to constitutional "wrong turns."

It will begin with a keynote address by University of Texas law professor Sanford V. Levinson: "The 21st Century Rediscovery of Nullification and Secession in American Political Rhetoric: Frivolousness Incarnate or Serious Arguments to Be Wrestled With?"

Two panels will follow. The first, moderated by University of Arkansas law professor Nate Coulter, will offer a local perspective on these issues provided by three individuals on the front lines in these debates: Morril Harriman, chief of staff to Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe; Bob Ballinger, a lawyer who represents the 97th District in the Arkansas House of Representatives; and Max Brantley, senior editor of the Arkansas Times.

The second, moderated by University of Arkansas law professor Mark Killenbeck, will include four eminent scholars: the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack Rakove from Stanford University: philosopher Kit Wellman from Washington University in St. Louis; law professor and political scientist Mark Brandon from Vanderbilt University; and political scientist James Read from the College of St. Benedict.

The symposium will conclude with a response by Levinson and general discussion.

For complete details of the symposium, including speaker bios, historical background and schedule, please visit the symposium website. Attorneys can register for the symposium by emailing lawRSVP@uark.edu.