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About the Program
Despite legal scholarship’s focus on federal and state governance, the majority of people interact with legal institutions only at the local level. They go to local courts, are represented by local legislatures, and learn to navigate local administrative agencies. But no two local governments are alike — they vary widely in their practices and structures, often challenging the traditional relationship between law and governance.
In a time of fractured national politics, eroding legal protections, and a dramatic upheaval of basic norms of democracy, local governments are more important than ever. To kick off the Urban Law Journal’s 50th year of publication, the 2022 Cooper Walsh Colloquium will take a deep dive into the unique complexities, benefits, and challenges of different local government systems. By bringing together leading scholars and innovative ideas, the Colloquium aims to deepen the emerging scholarly discourse surrounding local government institutions, in a day of engaging and thoughtful discussion.
Panel Topics
Panel 1: A Local’s Day In Court: Analyzing Local Courts
- Pamela Bookman, Associate Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law
- Alexandra Natapoff, Lee S. Kreindler Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
- Justin Weinstein-Tull, Associate Professor, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
- Moderator: Ethan Leib, John D. Calamari Distinguished Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law
Panel 2: Lessons from Legislation and Legislatures at the Local Level
- Richard Briffault, Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation, Columbia Law School
- Brenner M. Fissell, Associate Professor of Law, Villanova University School of Law
- Noah Kazis, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
- Kellen Zale, George Butler Research Professor and Associate Professor of Law, University of Houston Law Center
- Moderator: Sheila R. Foster, Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Urban Law and Policy; Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University
Panel 3: Legal Challenges and Innovations in Local Administrative Law
- Ava Ayers, Associate Professor of Law, Albany Law School
- Paul A. Diller, Professor of Law, Willamette University College of Law
- Maria Ponomarenko, Assistant Professor, University of Texas School of Law
- Daniel B. Rodriguez, Harold Washington Professor, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- Rick Su, Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law
- Moderator: Aaron Saiger, Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law
Panel 4: The Structures and Principles Behind Local Governments
- Daniel Farbman, Associate Professor of Law, Boston College Law School
- Roderick M. Hills, Jr., William T. Comfort III Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
- Erin Adele Scharff, Professor of Law, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
- Richard Schragger, Walter L. Brown Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
- Nadav Shoked, Professor of Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- Moderator: Nestor M. Davidson, Albert A. Walsh Chair in Real Estate, Land Use, & Property Law; Faculty Director of Urban Law Center, Fordham University School of Law