On March 14, 2013, Jeff Wice will moderate a panel on the possible effects of the decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The panel is presented jointly by the New York Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society and LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Mr. Wice will moderate a panel consisting of Leah Aden ,Assistant Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Juan Cartagena, President of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and Myrna Pérez, Senior Counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice.

At issue in Shelby County v. Holder – which has been argued before the Supreme Court, but not yet decided - was the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The panel will discuss how the case made its way to the Supreme Court, as well as the potential ramifications of the Supreme Court striking down the statute.

For more information on the panel, please visit the American Constitution Society’s website.

Joe Sandler will speak today on campaign finance reform at a roundtable symposium at The University of Massachusetts School of Law. The subject of the symposium is “Politics and the Law” and will feature a keynote address from US Congressman Bill Keating (D-MA). In addition to Mr. Sandler’s discussion of campaign finance reform, other speakers will discuss additional topics including political corruption and Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

The symposium is open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis

For more information on the symposium, click here: http://www.umassd.edu/law/news/politicsandthelaw/

SRYL Partners Joe Sandler was quoted in a story by The Guardian in the United Kingdom about the rise in importance of lawyers on Election Day. He explains that after the debacle of the Florida recount in the 2000 Presidential elections, a network of attorneys has grown into a “veritable army.” The article explains that in 2004, both campaigns had paid attorneys and volunteers in place in swing states ahead of election day, a model which only expanded in 2008 and 2012.

What will all of these attorneys? Explained Mr. Sandler, “Thousands and thousands of lawyers will be out on election day ferreting out any problems with voting rights.” And should any swing state be too close to call, both campaigns will be ready to litigate.