I wrote a post not long ago about some of the challenges to voting rights for the District. You can see that here. At the end of that post you will notice that I had to make a correction; these issues are complex.
I just received the following from someone at the D.C. City Council. I plan on attending, and encourage anyone interested in local politics/advocacy to attend as well. These issues are complex, and it is important to try and spread our opinions and ideas professionally, with as much understanding as possible.
In a democracy being a part of the solution = being willing to be a part of the process, in whatever way.
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Council of the District of Columbia
Special Committee on Statehood and Self-Determination
Councilmember Michael A. Brown, Chair
Public Hearing
“PATHWAYS TO STATEHOOD & FULL SELF- DETERMINATION:
POLITICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS”
Monday, June 1, 2009 – 6:30pm
John A. Wilson Building, Council Chambers (Room 500)
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Panel One: Framing the Discussion
The Honorable Reverend Walter Fauntroy, Former DC Delegate to U.S. House of Representatives; Pioneer of DC Statehood & Home Rule Movements
The Honorable Jamin Raskin, Maryland State Senator; Constitutional Law Professor, American University’s Washington College of Law
Panel Two: The Impact of Voting Rights, Statehood, and Similar Measures to the Home Rule Charter and Structure of the District of Columbia
Brian Flowers, Counsel to the Council of the District of Columbia
Peter J. Nickles, Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Panel Three: The Constitutionality of the DC House Voting Rights Act of 2009
The Honorable Patricia Wald, Former Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Jonathan R. Siegel, Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School
Walter Smith, Executive Director, DC Appleseed Center; District of Columbia Bar, The District of Columbia Affairs Section
Panel Four: Beyond the DC Voting Rights Act: Additional Pathways to Full Democracy
Manus Cooney, Constitutional Lawyer, TCH Group; Former Staff Director for Senate Judiciary Committee and Counsel to U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Richard (Rick) Dykema, Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Stephen Pershing, Constitutional Lawyer, Center for Constitutional Litigation, P.C.; Adjunct Professor George Washington University Law School
The Honorable John Capozzi, Former “Shadow” U.S. Representative for the District of Columbia
Johnny Barnes, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area
Panel Five: Voting Rights, Statehood and Full Self-Determination for the District of Columbia: A Political Analysis
The Honorable Tom Davis, Former U.S. Congressman from Virginia
Panel Six: Perspectives from Future Legal Scholars and Political Leaders
Edneka Haynes, 3rd Year Student, Howard University School of Law
Jackie Ouidia, Student Body and BLSA President
