31/10/2018
Next week we are hosting Lia Epperson as part of the Legal and Political Theory event series. Lia will give a seminar with the title: "Neutrality or Inequity? Competing Constitutional Principles of Expression and Equality in the U.S." The seminar will be held on Thursday, November 8th at 5:10 in the ICHR Seminar Room.
If you are interested in attending please register at the link as we need to know if the venue is appropriate: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/prof-lia-epperson-an-examination-of-the-competing-constitutional-principles-of-expression-and-tickets-51252925881
The topic is part of a research project with the Title: “An Examination Of The Competing Constitutional Principles Of Expression And Equality In The U.S. And Franceʼ
Here is the abstract for the project:
Corresponding with recent political shifts in the United States, hate speech and incidents of overt racism, xenophobia, and islamophobia are on the rise, particularly on university campuses. These events highlight a constitutional crisis--the competing principles of free expression and equality. This project seeks to examine the similarities and differences in underlying principles of neutrality undergirding the concept of freedom of expression in the United States and of republicanism and secularism in France. The myth of neutrality embedded in U.S. constitutional principles of free expression may leave out those who experience hate-filled speech as dignitary, indeed physical, harm. This project seeks to engage in a comparative scholarly examination of the different regulatory regimes addressing ethnically and religiously divisive and discriminatory expression in the French and U.S. contexts. It focuses on identifying variables through socio-legal research that may be applicable to such work in the U.S.
Biography:
Lia Epperson is a Professor of Law and former Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs at American University Washington College of Law. A nationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, constitutional law, and education policy, her scholarship centers on the constitutional dialogue between federal courts and the political branches, and its implications for educational equity. Her scholarship, published in leading journals, also explores the role of public schools, colleges, and universities in creating equal opportunity. Prior to her appointment at American University, she served on the law faculties of the University of Maryland and Santa Clara University. She has also served as a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, focusing on federal civil rights enforcement of educational policies and practices. Professor Epperson's research interests are informed by her experiences litigating education cases throughout the country, and lobbying for the maintenance and enforcement of civil rights protections. Prior to becoming a law professor in 2005, Dean Epperson directed the education law and policy group of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund (LDF). While there, she litigated in federal and state courts, advocated for federal administrative and legislative reforms, and co-authored multiple amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court in the areas of education and affirmative action. In addition, she represented LDF in several national civil rights leadership coalitions. Prior to her time at LDF, Professor Epperson was an attorney with Morrison & Foerster in Palo Alto, CA, and a law clerk to the Honorable Timothy K. Lewis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She received her law degree from Stanford University, where she served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review as well as the Stanford Law and Policy Review. She earned her bachelor's degree in sociology, magna cm laude, from Harvard University.
For more, visit https://www.wcl.american.edu/community/faculty/profile/epperson/bio/
