Conference: Association of American Law Schools Meeting (2-5 Jan, 2020), Washington D.C

I.               MAIN PROGRAM: Comparative Law, Co-Sponsored by Constitutional Law

This program will feature reflections from a diverse group of scholars on the contributions of Mark Tushnet to the field of comparative law. Tushnet, currently the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, will retire from the faculty in June 2020. This panel offers an opportunity for scholars who are new to his work in comparative law to learn about his vast body of scholarship and also for those familiar with his work to situate his contributions in the larger field. A substantial portion of the program will be reserved for discussion and comments from the floor. The program will end with the presentation of the First Annual “Mark Tushnet Prize,” created by the Chair and Executive Committee of the Section to recognize scholarly excellence in any subject of comparative law by an untenured scholar at an AALS Member School.

II.            Challenges to the Rule of Law: Lessons from and for Asia, East Asian Law & Society, Co- Sponsored by Comparative Law 

From the frontal assault by Duterte’s regime in the Philippines, to the increasing interference by the Chinese government in Hong Kong, to the Abe administration’s undermining of the constitution in Japan, Asia is experiencing serious challenges to the rule of law, one of the main pillars of liberal democracy.. Through the lens of this global challenge, this panel explores what can be learned from the Asian experience and how events elsewhere in the world might inform our understanding of the challenges in Asia.. Business meeting at program conclusion. ​

Date and Time

Saturday, January 4, 1:30pm to 3:15pm

III.          The Place of East Asian Law Scholars and Teachers in American Law Schools, East Asian Law & Society, Co- Sponsored by Comparative Law 

This round-table discussion will explore the challenges and opportunities of faculty members who specialize in East Asian law.. The conversation will include challenges and opportunities in teaching and scholarship.. We anticipate everyone attending will be part of the discussion.

Date and Time

Speakers

Speaker: Donald C. Clarke, The George Washington University Law School

Speaker: Virginia Harper Ho, University of Kansas School of Law

Moderator: David S. Law, University of California, Irvine School of Law

Speaker: Tahirih V. Lee, Florida State University College of Law

Speaker: John K.M. Ohnesorge, University of Wisconsin Law School

IV.          Civil Rights, Co-Sponsored by Comparative Law

VI.          Art Law, Co-Sponsored by Comparative Law and Constitutional Law

As regimes change and public values evolve, controversial public monuments often warrant reexamination. Our panel will explore the complex considerations involved in decisions to change or remove public monuments. The panel will bring together experts from law, history, and art to explore and compare how different countries have handled this controversial topic. Our panelists will share their expertise on how Germany and South Africa dealt with monuments of defeated regimes and compare their treatment with that of confederate monuments in the United States.

VII.        International Legal Exchange, Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education, Comparative Law, and Teaching Methods

Within the U.S. legal community, our legal system is often viewed as inherently worthy of emulation. Concepts such as due process and the right to a jury trial in criminal matters are so inherently appropriate that we may not recognize that other aspects of our system may be viewed as historic anachronisms or simply inequitable or inefficient. Various examples will be offered by panelists.

VIII.      Law and South Asian Studies, Co-Sponsored by Comparative Law and East Asian Law and Society

Data privacy has become a central issue in regulating a host of issues such as e-commerce, access to government services, and national security amongst others. This session will examine data privacy regulation comparatively and will focus on a recent Supreme Court of India decision (and associated proposed reforms), the EU’s GDPR, and developments elsewhere.