Georgia Atlanta Brown v. USA | Reception and Book Signing Brown v. United States of America: Debating the Issues Past, Present, and Future (download the program) Free CLE Program Saturday, August 7 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Georgia World Congress Center Room A411, Level 4 Atlanta, GA During the American Bar Association's Annual Meeting, its Commission on the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education will conclude a year of special programs commemorating the Brown decision with "Brown v. United States of America." This event—an interactive exploration, in the form of a trial, of the decision's legacy in American law and society—will ask some of the nation's top judges, lawyers, scholars, and policy experts to debate key issues emanating from the Brown decision that remain unresolved today. The program will be moderated by the ABA Brown Commision's chair, Professor Charles J. Ogletree (Harvard Law School). The suit will be brought by five elementary and high school plaintiffs from the fictional State of Ames against the United States of America. The plaintiffs' complaint will allege that, as a nation, the United States has failed to deliver the relief promised by the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas because of: The failure to integrate public schools in the wake of the Brown decision. The continuing adverse impacts suffered by minority children resulting from patterns of racial and economic discrimination determined by the practices and policies of government agencies and officials at the national and local levels. The failure to achieve meaningful representation of minority students at the nation's colleges and universities. (download the pleadings, including the complaint and answer) Included within these allegations will be discussions of inequities in school funding policies, the impact of disciplinary policies (such as "zero tolerance") on minority students, the effects of ongoing de facto residential segregation, and the impact of the Supreme Court's affirmative action decisions, including last year's decisions in Grutter and Gratz. The allegations will be tried by two teams of lawyers, one for each side, through the testimony of expert witnesses called by the plaintiffs and the defendant United States. The trial will be presided over by a panel of eight judges before a jury of individuals representing the legal profession, educators, policy experts, and other interested parties. At the end of the trial, the jury will deliver a verdict on the allegations made by the plaintiffs. Audience members will also have an opportunity to render their verdict in the case. Journalists will be on hand to report on the proceedings and interview participants in the trial. This free CLE program will also be made available online through the ABA's CLE Now! website. Confirmed Participants Welcome and Remarks Dennis Archer President, American Bar Association Moderator Professor Charles J. Ogletree (Harvard Law School) Chair, ABA Commission on the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education Judges The Honorable Stephen Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court The Honorable Robert Benham, Supreme Court of Georgia The Honorable Roger L. Gregory, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The Honorable Carlos F. Lucero, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit The Honorable Johnnie B. Rawlinson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The Honorable Carl E. Stewart, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The Honorable Ann Claire Williams, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit The Honorable Charles Wilson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Lawyers For the Plaintiffs For the Defendant John Payton Partner Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP Washington, D.C. Alfred A. Lindseth Partner Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP Atlanta, GA Theodore M. Shaw President & Director-Counsel NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund New York, NY Rocco E. Testani Partner Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP Atlanta, GA Witnesses For the Plaintiffs For the Defendant Sheryll Cashin Georgetown University Law Center Washington, D.C. Caroline M. Hoxby Harvard University Department of Economics Cambridge, MA Gary Orfield Harvard University Graduate School of Education Cambridge, MA Abigail Thernstrom Manhattan Institute for Policy Research New York, NY The Honorable Matthew J. Perry, Jr. U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina Columbia, SC Armstrong Williams The Right Side Productions Washington, D.C. Jury Thomas Arthur, Emory University School of Law Martha H. Chumbler, ABA Section of State and Local Government Law David Collins, General Motors; ABA Brown Commission Clinton Dye, Atlanta Urban League Yoko Felter, ABA Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division Michael Holiman, Board of Education, Atlanta Public Schools Floyd Holloway, ABA Commission on Race & Ethnic Diversity Ebony Howell, Atlanta Urban League Young Professionals Phyllis James, MGM / Mirage; ABA Brown Commission Rev. Barbara King, Hillside Chapel & Truth Center Karl King, ABA Commission on Race & Ethnic Diversity Beverly McQueary-Smith, Touro Law Center; ABA Brown Commission John Munich, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP Steve Oney, ABA 2004 Silver Gavel Award winner ("And the Dead Shall Rise") William M. Ragland, Jr., Atlanta Bar Association Leslie J. Starks, Solo Practitioner Beverly Daniel Tatum, Spelman College W. Scott Welch, III, Standing Committee on Public Education C. Erica White, ABA Young Lawyers Division ABA Event Co-Sponsors Center for Continuing Legal Education Coalition for Justice Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession Division for Public Education Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division Judicial Division Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section of State and Local Government Law Senior Lawyers Division Standing Committee on Judicial Independence Young Lawyers Division Also during the ABA Annual Meeting, the Commission on Brown v. Board will feature the "Marching Toward Justice: The History of the 14th Amendment," an exhibit created by the Damon J. Keith Collection at Wayne State University to inform the public about the fundamental importance of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and our nation’s ongoing quest to realize the ideals of freedom outlined in the Declaration of Independence. Appearing in major cities around the country, the 800 square foot, paneled exhibit incorporates photographs, drawings, and reproductions of documents to tell the story of African Americans' quest for justice. Topics range from slavery to black soldiers in the Civil War, and from the Emancipation Proclamation to ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868. BellSouth is the exclusive sponsor of "Marching Toward Justice" at the Annual Meeting from August 5-10, 2004. Friends of the Division for Public Education Reception and Book Signing Friday, August 6 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Omni Hotel at CNN Center International Ballroom A / B M2 Level, North Tower 100 CNN Center Atlanta, Georgia This event is open to the public. See below for featured authors. Deborah L. Rhode and Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. Brown at 50: The Unfinished Legacy Sheryll Cashin The Failures of Integration: How Race and Class Are Undermining the American Dream Steve Oney And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank 2004 ABA Silver Gavel Award Winner Abigail Thernstrom No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning Honorable Matthew J. Perry, Jr. Matthew J. Perry: The Man, His Times, and His Legacy Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. All Deliberate Speed: Reflections on the First Half-Century of Brown v. Board of Education Events