Few subjects inspire more debate than guns. Do gun laws work? Are restrictions on gun ownership constitutional? Should gun companies be held responsible when criminals misuse their products? The Program in Public Law welcomed Alla Lefkowitz '10, Staff Attorney at Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, to discuss how these issues are addressed in the courts. The talk addressed recent developments in Second Amendment law, and provided an introduction to civil lawsuits brought by victims of gun violence against gun manufacturers and sellers.

Duke Law Professor Joseph Blocher talked with Eric Michaux '66 about his experience as one of the first black students at Duke Law, a leader in the effort to integrate the North Carolina Bar Association, and the only black JAG lawyer serving in the Air Force in Vietnam. The conversation also explored the changes in the Duke and Durham communities over the last 50+ years.

Held during the Alumni Weekend reunion in 2016.

Sponsored by the Office of Alumni & Development.

A discussion of Professor Powell's latest book, Targeting Americans: The Constitutionality of the U.S. Drone War (Oxford University Press). Powell's book focuses on the legal debate surrounding drone strikes, From a position of deep practical expertise in constitutional issues, Prof. Powell provides a dispassionate and balanced analysis of the issues posed by U.S. targeted killing policy. A fundamental theme of the book is that the conclusion that an action or policy is constitutional should not be confused with claims about its wisdom, morality, or legality under international norms.

Issues related to gun ownership have plagued the United States for a long time. The Supreme Court's decision in Heller marked a new beginning in the legal debate concerning private gun ownership. In the recent years, mass shootings and terrorist attacks have brought ongoing attention to this legal and social issue. With President Obama's new gun control executive order, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's death, and the upcoming presidential election, the future of gun control is even more unpredictable. Professors Joseph Blocher and Darrell A.H. Miller from Duke Law School, Jeffrey W.

A discussion between Professor Joseph Blocher and Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt of Chapel Hill, the town's first openly gay mayor and a lawyer who has dedicated his life to public service. The conversation covers Kleinschmidt's public interest work, including his contributions as a death penalty lawyer, and North Carolina's "religious freedom" bill, which allows public officials to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples based upon a "sincerely held religious objection."

Sponsored by the American Constitution Society.

The Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy's 2015 symposium, “Fraud on the Market after Halliburton II." Leading academics and practitioners in the field of securities law discuss the impact of the Supreme Court’s 2014 decision to maintain the fraud on the market presumption.

Opening Remarks and Introduction
Opening Remarks: Joseph Blocher, Duke University School of Law
Introduction: Ann Lipton, Duke University School of Law

A conversation with Professor Joseph Blocher and Wade Penny '60. As a young lawyer, Penny argued the civil rights case, Klopfer v. North Carolina, before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966. The case became the U.S. Supreme Court's first significant interpretation of the Sixth Amendment-guaranteed right to a speedy trial. Penny speaks about his experience as a young lawyer arguing before the Supreme Court, the Civil Rights Movement, Durham and Duke in the 1960s.

The Supreme Court's health care ruling was an extremely important, and perhaps surprising, decision. Professor Neil Siegel (whose writings may have influenced part of the opinion), Professor Steven Sachs (author on health reform and former clerk to Chief Justice Roberts), and Asheesh Agarwal of Ogletree Deakins (an authority on the possible impacts of the decision) discuss the ruling. Professor Joseph Blocher will moderate. Sponsored by the American Constitution Society, the Federalist Society, and the Health Law Society.

Duke Law professors discuss and review the most significant decisions of the 2011 term of the U.S. Supreme Court, focusing on civil cases. Margaret H. Lemos looks at the statistics from the term. Ernest A. Young examines two cases: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC and Arizona v. U.S. Katharine T. Bartlett reviews Coleman v. Maryland Court of Appeals. Lastly, Joseph Blocher looks at the free speech decisions of the Court for the term. Sponsored by the Program in Public Law.

Examining the state -- and future -- of national security law-related issues in the era beyond active battlefields, yet one with persisting threats of technology-empowered terrorists, and one with rising peer-competitors.

Opening Remarks: Professor Charles Dunlap, LENS Executive Director
Panel 1: International Human Rights Law: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future
Moderator: Professor Joseph Blocher, Duke Law School
Professor Madeline Morris, Duke Law School
Andrew Woods, Harvard Law School
Professor Saira Mohamed, UC Berkeley Law School

As so often demonstrated on Law & Order, all suspects are entitled to Miranda warnings while in police custody. But how do we determine when someone is "in custody" for the purpose of a 5th Amendment Miranda analysis? Is age a relevant consideration when contemplating a "reasonable person" in the same circumstances? The Supreme Court will decide on this issue this spring.

Panel discussion on judicial takings.

Recorded on February 04, 2011.

Panel titled: The Very Idea of Judicial Takings.

Conference title: Judicial Takings: Exploring the Boundaries of the Fifth Amendment (Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Symposium (2011))

Appearing: Ilya Somin (George Mason School of Law), Richard Epstein (NYU Law), Nestor Davidson (University of Colorado Law School), panelists ; moderated by Joseph Blocher (Duke Law School).

Professor Joseph Blocher discusses some of his recent scholarship on the relationship between state and federal courts with regard to constitutional law. In this clip, he focuses on Reverse Incorporation of State Constitutional Law, 84 Southern California Law Review 323-386 (2011) available at: http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/faculty_scholarship/2332/

September 21, 2010 - Panelists discuss the recently decided Supreme Court case, McDonald v. City of Chicago

October 4, 2010 - Panelists discuss some of the most important Supreme Court cases of the upcoming term.

Duke Law Professor Joseph Blocher, a Durham native, tells Durham's history through the lens of the law. Using maps, photographs, and other historical materials, the lecture provides a comprehensive history of Durham, beginning with the town's founding in the aftermath of the Civil War and continuing with the rise of the tobacco industry, the success of Black Wall Street, the founding of the universities, the fight for desegregation, and the city's more recent struggles and revitalization.

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