Rule of Law Summit 2023
We held the first annual Rule of Law Summit from the Society for the Rule of Law in Washington, D.C. on November 8, 2023.
The Summit focused on defending our public institutions from the unprecedented threat posed by authoritarian encroachment on the conservative legal movement. It convened some of the nation’s top legal minds to discuss the prospects for restoring the rule of law, and saving our public institutions—including the legal profession—from the lure of mere partisanship.
The Society for the Rule of Law is the premier conservative legal organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the rule of law in America today. Originally formed in 2018, it is made up of traditionally conservative and center-right lawyers and jurists, many of whom have served at the highest levels of previous Republican administrations, and who are alarmed by the state of today’s conservative legal movement.
Featured speakers at the Summit included attorney George Conway, former Judge J. Michael Luttig, former Rep. Barbara Comstock, and other special guests.
We are building a pro-democracy movement of law practitioners and students from across the country who are committed to the Constitution and the rule of law. And we firmly believe that saving democracy and restoring the rule of law requires branching out and building inroads with a wide berth of allies—that’s what this event was all about.
For questions or comments, please contact [email protected].
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AGENDA
Networking & Cocktail Hour. Food and beverages provided.
Introductory Remarks from George Conway, former Assistant Attorney General nominee and President of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Rule of Law.
Panel 1 — “The Rule of Law and Public Institutions,” featuring Judge J. Michael Luttig, former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Member of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Rule of Law; Rep. Barbara Comstock, former Member of Congress and Member of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Rule of Law; and Peter Keisler, former Acting Attorney General and Society for the Rule of Law Advisory Council Member.
Panel 2 — “Corruption of the Courts,” featuring Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale Law School; Judge J. Michael Luttig; and George Conway.
Panel 3 — “Understanding the Trump Indictments,” featuring Stuart Gerson, former Acting Attorney General and Board Treasurer of the Society for the Rule of Law; Donald Ayer, former Deputy Attorney General and Advisory Council Member of the Society for the Rule of Law; and Heath Mayo, attorney and Founder of Principles First.
Closing Remarks from Alan Raul, former Reagan White House lawyer and Society for the Rule of Law Board Secretary.
Networking & Cocktail Hour. Food and beverages provided.
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FEATURED SPEAKERS
The Hon. J. Michael Luttig
Former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Member of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Rule of Law.
George Conway
Attorney and President of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Rule of Law. Former Assistant Attorney General nominee.
The Hon. Rep. Barbara Comstock
Member of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Rule of Law, Senior Advisor at Baker Donelson, former Member of U.S. House of Representatives.
Stuart Gerson
Board Treasurer for the Society for the Rule of Law, former Acting Attorney General, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, and Assistant Attorney General.
Donald Ayer
Member of the Society for the Rule of Law Advisory Council, former Deputy Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California.
Peter Keisler
Society for the Rule of Law Advisory Council Member, former Acting Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General.
Alan Raul
Board Secretary for the Society for the Rule of Law and former Associate Counsel to the President.
Heath Mayo
Founder of Principles First.
Akhil Reed Amar
Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale Law School.