About
The Federalist No. 78
"The courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would be the substitution of their pleasure for that of the legislative body."
The Texas Federalist Society
The Texas Federalist Society is a group of moderate, conservative and libertarian law students who believe in promoting civil discourse and open debate. With over 150 registered members, the Society is proud to be the largest student organization at the law school. The Federalist Society has over 40,000 members nationwide with Student Chapters at 200 law schools and Lawyers Chapters in 70 cities.
Strictly non-partisan, the Society exists to promote an awareness of the principles that the state exists to preserve liberty, that the separation of powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is the province of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be and to further their application through debate and discourse. The Society seeks to bring the nation’s top legal minds to speak at the law school and hosts an average of 20 or more speakers and judges each year.
The Texas Federalist Society has a long history at UT Law. Founded in 1983, the chapter maintains a place of historical importance as one of the Federalist Society's inaugural chapters. Texas Federalist alumni have gone on to practice law in Texas and around the world, found businesses and serve in the highest levels of government. The Texas Federalist Society maintains one of the largest and most active memberships in the country.
The Federalist Society
“The Federalist Society is changing the culture of our nation's law schools. You are returning the values and concepts of law as our founders understood them to scholarly dialogue, and through that dialogue, to our legal institutions.”
- President Ronald Reagan
Founded in 1982, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians dedicated to reforming the current legal order. Many of the most influential voices in national and Texas politics are members of the Federalist Society. Scalia, Roberts, Rhenquist, Alito, Ted Cruz, Spencer Abraham, Ted Olson, John Ashcroft, Michael Chertoff, and over 30 current and former federal judges are or were members in the organization. Since the national organization's humble founding, the national Federalist Society has now spread to all 196 ABA accredited law schools, and has practicing attorney chapters boasting over 30,000 members.
The Federalist Society began at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and the University of Chicago Law School as a student organization that challenged what its members perceived as the orthodox American liberal ideology found in most law schools. The Federalist Society founders were inspired by the principles and writings of the founding fathers, most especially James Madison, author of the Federalist Papers and the "Father of the Constitution." The Society seeks to promote awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities.
In its mission and purpose, the Federalist Society is unique. By providing lively debate and 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, the Society has redefined the terms of legal debate. The Society's expansion in membership, chapters, and program activity has been matched by the rapid growth of the influence of the Society's local and national events.
In its history, the Society has 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.
For more information: http://www.fed-soc.org/