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The Rule of Law in the Wake of Clinton

CATO CONFERENCE
Wednesday, July 12, 2000
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

For millennia, history has taught that civilization and human progress depend on the rule of law, a lesson evident today in those nations around the world where law barely exists. Yet even in America, which was founded out of respect for the rule of law, we have seen a growing disrespect for law and legal institutions, often coming from those very institutions, a disrespect that has grown alarmingly over the past eight years.

The endless scandals that have surrounded the Clinton administration, and the administration~Rs repeated efforts to frustrate investigations of them, come immediately to mind, of course. But those are only the tip of the iceberg. In its political agenda, its legal briefs, and its executive actions, this administration has ignored both constitutional limits on government power and constitutional guarantees of individual liberty. In the name of restraining unpopular industries the administration has encouraged and even joined with others to launch assaults on centuries-old common law principles. And it has politicized the institutions of justice at home while showing studied indifference to limits on its power abroad. Yet in all of this the guardians one would normally expect to be defending the rule of law have been either ineffective or complicit, raising serious questions about the endurance of respect for law. Please join us for a systematic examination of each of these issues.

Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.)	Lillian BeVier Professor of Law, University of Virginia	Ronald D. Rotunda Visiting Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute	Jim Wootton President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
Roger Pilon Director, Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute	C. Boyden Gray Partner, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering	Nadine Strossen President, American Civil Liberties Union	Dan Troy Partner, Wiley, Rein & Fielding

Also featuring Prof. Douglas Kmiec, Tim Lynch, Robert A. Levy, AG Wm. Pryor, Prof. John Yoo, and David Horowitz.

9:00 a.m. - 9:05 a.m. Watch Part I in RealVideo	Welcome: Edward H. Crane President, Cato Institute Introduction: Roger Pilon Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute
9:05 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.	Keynote: "Civilization, Progress, and the Rule of Law" Lillian BeVier Professor of Law, University of Virginia
	Part I: The Abuse of the Constitution
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.	A: The Assault on Limited Government "Ignoring Constitutional Limits" Roger Pilon "Expanding Executive Power" Douglas W. Kmiec Professor of Law, Pepperdine University
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Watch Part II in RealVideo	B: The Assault on Individual Liberty "Speech, Campaign Finance, and Privacy" Nadine Strossen Professor of Law, New York Law School President, American Civil Liberties Union "Crime, Drugs, and Forfeiture" Timothy Lynch Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute "Property Rights and Economic Regulation" James Wootton President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.	Luncheon: Scandal, Corruption, and the Rule of Law Sen. Fred Thompson
12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Buffet Lunch: Wintergarden
	Part II: The Abuse of Common Law, Statute, and Legal Institution
1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Watch Part III in RealVideo	A: Extortion Parading as Law "The War on Tobacco" Robert A. Levy Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute "The War on Guns" Hon. Bill Pryor Attorney General, State of Alabama "The War on Microsoft" C. Boyden Gray Partner, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering
2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Watch Part IV in RealVideo	B: Toward the Rule of Man "Politicizing the Justice Department" Theodore B. Olson Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher "The Imperial President Abroad" John Yoo Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.	The Guardians of Law Fail "The Political Parties" Daniel E. Troy Partner, Wiley, Rein & Fielding "The Bar and the Academy" Ronald D. Rotunda Professor of Law, University of Illinois "The Media and the Cultural Institutions" David Horowitz President, Center for the Study of Popular Culture
5:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.	Reception