Fordham Law professors recently held an event with law students to unpack the rapid number of changes taking place in the U.S. around immigration. During the session, professors with expertise in immigration and foreign affairs talked with students about a range of issues—from the scope of executive authority in immigration enforcement to birthright citizenship and the role of states and cities in resisting federal immigration policies.
After the professors completed their remarks, student members of two campus organizations, the International Refugee Assistance Project and the Immigration Advocacy Project, discussed their efforts to support affected communities and what others can do to get engaged.
The early March panel was part of a series of conversations held throughout the academic year at Fordham Law School that provide a forum for students to interact with faculty experts and discuss a range of major Supreme Court rulings and breaking policy decisions in Washington, D.C.
This tradition has been in place for five years and has given students and faculty an informal opportunity to discuss and hear feedback on timely issues including the Covid vaccine mandate, reproductive rights, affirmative action, and more.
“It’s terrific that students and faculty are able to learn and share views together,” said Professor Jerry Goldfeder.
Last November, hundreds of students joined Goldfeder, Thomas Lee, and Zephyr Teachout to discuss the 2024 presidential election. Goldfeder and Teachout are experts in election law and Lee is a scholar of international law. The talk was moderated by Professor Catherine Powell and Corey Brettschneider, a visiting professor from Brown University.
This semester’s immigration law discussion was led by Lee and Professors Jennifer Gordon and Gemma Solimene, who are experts in immigration law. Gordon, a former MacArthur Prize Fellow, founded a nonprofit that fights for fair treatment of immigrant workers in New York, and Solimene directs the Immigrant Policy and Advocacy Clinic at the Law School.
The sessions are held in the Law School’s conference rooms, rather than a classroom setting, so they are more informal than traditional presentations or lectures. Students are encouraged to interact and ask questions, even difficult or controversial ones. The conversation series got a thumbs up from current Student Bar Association President August Golden, who said: “I’m glad to see conversations like this on our campus facilitated by administrators and experts who can provide some degree of clarity, and hope these conversations continue at and beyond Fordham.”
Dean Joseph Landau, who helps select the conversation topics, noted the importance of bringing students together to discuss important and complex topics as a critical component of their legal training. “These conversations are a hallmark of what we do—and one of the many ways that a Fordham education is distinctive and unique. Now, more than ever, lawyers must practice and be skilled at listening, debating, and engaging different viewpoints and ideas respectfully,” he said. “Law schools must therefore embrace critical and challenging topics—even when difficult to do so—so that we can expand understanding and continue to train the very best lawyers.”
On April 4, students from across Fordham University will gather with law professors to discuss the surge of recent executive orders, federal employee dismissals, and presidential agency controls. The conversation will explore the legal and constitutional implications of these actions and the challenges the administration is currently facing, and may continue to face, in the courts. Panelists will include Professors James Brudney, Olivier Sylvain, and Teachout. Brudney is a specialist in labor law, Sylvain is an expert in regulatory law and government agencies, and Teachout is an expert in election law.