Student Organizations: American Constitution Society

The American Constitution Society at the Appalachian School of Law

The ASL American Constitutional Society is a recognized chapter of the national organization of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.

The American Constitutional Society offers a view of constitutional law that sharply contrasts with the view of the Federalist Society I profiled here.   The website of the national organization explains the context for the group:

SHAPING DEBATE, BUILDING NETWORKS, 
MAKING A DIFFERENCE 

The American Constitution Society (ACS) believes that law should be a force to improve the lives of all people. ACS works for positive change by shaping debate on vitally important legal and constitutional issues through development and promotion of high-impact ideas to opinion leaders and the media; by building networks of lawyers, law students, judges and policymakers dedicated to those ideas; and by countering the activist conservative legal movement that has sought to erode our enduring constitutional values. By bringing together powerful, relevant ideas and passionate, talented people, ACS makes a difference in the constitutional, legal and public policy debates that shape our democracy. 

Shaping Debate. The American Constitution Society brings together many of the country’s best legal minds to articulate a progressive vision of our Constitution and laws. Through its public programs (over 1,100 debates, conferences and press briefings across America each year), publications, and active on-line presence, ACS generates “intellectual capital” for ready use by progressive allies and shapes debates on key legal and public policy issues. 

The American Constitution Society is also debunking conservative buzzwords such as “originalism” and “strict construction” that use neutral-sounding language but all too often lead to conservative policy outcomes. Using both traditional and new media to communicate with policymakers, judges, lawyers and the public at large, ACS presents a compelling vision of core constitutional values such as genuine equality, liberty, justice and the rule of law. 

Building Networks. One of the American Constitution Society’s principal missions is nurturing the next generation of progressive lawyers, judges, policy experts, legislators and academics.
The engine that drives the organization’s work is its rapidly growing nationwide network: 186 student chapters in law schools in 47 states, 34 lawyer chapters in large and small cities in every part of the country, and over 16,000 paying members and thousands of other supporters. ACS chapters offer platforms for debate and discussion about both enduring principles and the issues of the day, as well as provide opportunities for networking, mentoring and organizing around matters of both local and national significance. 

Making a Difference. The strength of ACS’s ideas and the scope of its nationwide network enable it to make a difference in legal and public policy debates and ensure that law is a force to improve the lives of all people. Recent examples of ACS initiatives and programs having an impact include an Issue Brief on the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the health care reform legislation, cited during the Senate floor debate and entered into the Congressional Record; Senator Al Franken’s 2010 ACS National Convention speech in which he stated that “Originalism isn’t a pillar of our constitutional history; it’s a talking point;” and a concerted effort by ACS members to promote up-or-down votes on judicial nominations by engaging key decision makers. 

In the words of Judge Abner Mikva, former Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit, former Congressman from Illinois and member of ACS’s Board of Directors:

ACS’s goals are ambitious but attainable. Those who would despair of our success need only think of the small band of legal conservatives of twenty-five years ago – their ideas then scorned by academics, ignored by judges and unknown to the public – who persevered to build a powerful movement and reshape our world according to their notions. If you seek their works, look around you. Our work is just beginning. Don’t just stand there – join us. 

Mission of the National Organization

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) promotes the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and the fundamental values it expresses: individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, access to justice, democracy and the rule of law. The abiding principles are reflected in the vision of the Constitution's framers and the wisdom of forward-looking leaders who have shaped our law throughout American history. As a result of their efforts, the Constitution has retained its authority and relevance for each new generation. 

In recent years, an activist conservative legal movement has gained influence - eroding these enduring values and presenting the law as a series of sterile abstractions. This new orthodoxy, which threatens to dominate our courts and our laws, does a grave injustice to the American vision. 

The American Constitution Society embraces the progress our nation has made toward full embodiment of the Constitution's core values. ACS believes that law can and should be a force for improving the lives of all people. We are revitalizing and transforming legal and policy debates in classrooms, courtrooms, legislature and the media, and we are building a diverse and dynamic network of progressives committed to justice. Through these efforts, ACS will ensure that the institutions of American law reflect the highest values of our nation and serve the needs of its people.

The Mission Statement of the ASL Chapter

The Constitution of the ASL ACS echoes these principles and goals.  It specifically identifies its mission as:

[T]o harness these values of compassion and respect for each individual, and to re-incorporate them into American law and politics, in order to build a stronger and more decent national community.  We seek to restore the fundamental principles of respect for human dignity, protection of individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, and access to justice to their rightful -- and traditionally central -- place in American law.  We want to strengthen the intellectual underpinnings of -- and the public case for -- a vision of the law in which these values are paramount.  Our goal is a rekindling of the hope that by reason and decency, we can create an America that is better for us all.  

It holds membership open to all ASL students, faculty, and staff.

Associate Professor Doug McKechnie serves as the faculty advisor.