A Right to Speak Anonymously? Political Contributors and Reporters’ Confidential Sources 11-13-2015

11/18/15 • 90 min

Supporters of mandated disclosure of the source of speech (or of money used to pay for speech) claim it can provide important information to the public and the legal system. But opponents say it violates privacy rights and can also deter the sources from speaking or contributing. -- This debate also applies to reporters' confidential sources. In both situations, disclosure (of who contributed or spent, or who a confidential source was) may provide useful information to voters, prosecutors, civil litigants, judges, or jurors. In both situations, requiring disclosure of the source may deter people from contributing to controversial campaigns or organizations, or from talking to journalists. Politically, people tend to react differently to these reactions – confidentiality of contributors tends to be more supported by conservatives, while confidentiality of journalists' sources tends to be more supported by liberals. But structurally, are these issues similar? This panel will consider both these questions together. -- This panel was presented at the 2015 National Lawyers Convention on Friday, November 13, 2015, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. -- Featuring: Mr. Andrew M. Grossman, Associate, BakerHostetler; Mr. Stephen Klein, Pillar of Law Institute; Mr. Paul S. Ryan, Senior Counsel, Campaign Legal Center; and Hon. Hans von Spakovsky, Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and Senior Legal Fellow, The Heritage Foundation. Moderator: Hon. Robert P. Young, Jr., Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Michigan. Introduction: Mr. Manuel Klausner, Co-Founder, Trustee, and Legal Advisor, Reason Foundation and General Counsel, Individual Rights Foundation.

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Address by Senator Orrin Hatch 11-13-2015

Senator Orrin Hatch delivered this address at the 2015 National Lawyers Convention on Friday, November 13, 2015. He was introduced by Mr. Leonard A. Leo, Executive Vice President of The Federalist Society.

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When Should America Act to Maintain International Order? 11-13-2015

Most would agree that the world is unsettled, with hotspots in the Middle East, North Korea, the South China Sea, and the Ukraine, to name but a few. Terrorism has complicated international relations. But exactly when, and how, should America act to maintain order? Is a muscular and expeditionary style of engagement to be favored over quiet diplomacy? Is more and faster better than less and slower? How contextual should the answers to these questions be? -- This panel was presented at the 2015 National Lawyers Convention on Friday, November 13, 2015, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. -- Featuring: Prof. Colin Dueck, Associate Professor, George Mason University School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs; Mr. Benjamin H. Friedman, Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security Studies, Cato Institute; Mr. François-Henri Briard, Supreme Court Attorney (France), Delaporte, Briard & Trichet; and Hon. Mike J. Rogers, Former U.S. House of Representatives, Michigan. Moderator: Mr. Brian H. Hook, former Assistant Secretary of State.