Foreign Law Bans in a State Near You?
The Brennan Center for Justice and the Center for American Progress present:
Foreign Law Bans in a State Near You?
Legal Difficulties, Practical Problems
featuring
- Matthew Schmitz, Deputy Editor, First Things Magazine and Contributor, National Review
- Daniel Mach, Director, Freedom of Religion and Belief Program, American Civil Liberties Union
- Edward Swaine, Law Professor, George Washington University
- Faiza Patel, Co-Director, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice
- Matthew Duss, Policy Analyst, Center for American Progress
Thursday, May 16, 2013
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street, NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Lunch will be served.
On Election Day 2010, Oklahoma voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution that banned the recognition of Islamic religious law and customs (known as sharia) by state courts. After the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the amendment on the grounds that it was discriminatory, proponents pushing the proposal in other states removed references to Islam and refocused the legislation to ban “foreign law.” Over the last two years, lawmakers in 32 states have introduced and debated bills outlawing religious, foreign or international law. Six states have passed such bans and five more are poised to pass similar measures this and next year.
The Brennan Center for Justice and the Center for American Progress invite you to join a conversation examining the roots of this movement and the unintended consequences of foreign law bans. Experts will discuss how the current wave of foreign law bans upends the carefully calibrated methods that American courts use to decide whether to apply foreign law, as well as the legal uncertainties these bans could create for families, businesses, and people of all faiths.
