Democracy Forum 1/17/25: States’ Rights, Then and Now

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine
Production Assistance:
Linda Washburn, Joel Mann

Democracy Forum: Participatory Democracy, encouraging citizens to take an active role in government and politics.

This month:
For much of our nation’s history, invoking “states’ rights” has meant opposing the federal government’s efforts to abolish slavery and enforce racial desegregation, and supporting state laws that discriminate against various ethnic, religious, or other minority groups. But there’s more to the history of states’ rights, and there’s a growing movement to invoke states’ rights to defend a progressive agenda in the years ahead from the threat of a hostile federal government.

Guest/s:
Jessica Bulman-Pozen, Betts Professor of Law and faculty co-director of the Center for Constitutional Governance at Columbia Law School www.law.columbia.edu/faculty/jessica-bulman-pozen
Molly Curren Rowles, Executive Director ACLU of Maine www.aclumaine.org/en/biographies/molly-curren-rowles#:~:text=Molly%20Curren%20Rowles%20joined%20the,executive%20director%20in%20May%202024.
Lucy Hochschartner, Climate & Clean Energy Director, Maine Conservation Voters www.maineconservation.org/about/staff-board/

To learn Amore about this topic:
Visit LWVME.org

About the host:
Ann Luther currently serves as Treasurer of the League of Women Voters of Maine and leads the LWVME Advocacy Team. She served as President of LWVME from 2003 to 2007 and as co-president from 2007-2009.