Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review Hosts Spring Symposium

February 18, 2026

Three people sit at a table covered with a black tablecloth and name plates in front of them.

Kenneth Marcus, Catherine Lhamon, and Alabama Law Professor JD Hsin discuss the implications of the state of civil rights enforcement for the future of America’s educational institutions. Marcus and Lhamon are former assistant secretaries in the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Dean Bill Brewbaker introduces the symposium on Friday, February 6.

A woman speaking from a podium. Two men, each at a table on either side of her, are turned around to watch her speak and listen.

Professor Helen Norton delivers her opening remarks. She and Professor Ron Krotoszynski participated in a panel focused on the First Amendment, moderated by 2L Ridwan Ahmed.

Three men sit at a table with name plates in front of them. The man on the left is speaking to the other two men. There is a crowd of people in the foreground.

James W. Porter III speaks to his fellow panelists, Professors Robert J. Cottrol and Ian Ayres. They were joined by Professors Raymond Diamond and Joyce Lee Malcolm to discuss the Second Amendment in a panel moderated by Professor Fredrick Vars.

Three men sit at a table with name plates in front of them. The man on the right is speaking to a crowd into a microphone and the other two men are looking at him, listening intently.

Professor Ian Ayres speaks as James W. Porter III and Robert J. Cottrol look on.

Professor Paul A. Gowder delivers the keynote address.

A woman speaks into a microphone while seated at a table with a nameplate in front of her. There are two women on either side of her, listening.

Professor Rachel Rebouché speaks while her fellow panelists, Professors Ederlina Co and Allison M. Whelan, listen. They discussed the Fourteenth Amendment and substantive due process in a panel moderated by Professor Montré Carodine.

A woman speaks into a microphone while seated at a table with a nameplate in front of her. There is another woman sitting next to her, listening.

Professor Allison M. Whelan speaks during her panel discussion.

A man speaks into a microphone while seated at a table. There is a woman sitting next to him, smiling as she listens. There is also a man listening to him speak from behind a podium.

3L Jordan Davis moderated a panel including Thomas A. Saenz and Madiba Dennie.

Professor Russell Gold, the faculty advisor for the Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review, delivers closing remarks.

On February 5 and 6, the Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review hosted their symposium, The Ever-Evolving Definition of America’s History and Tradition, at the Law School. The symposium brought together prominent legal scholars and practitioners to examine the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s growing reliance on historical analysis.

On the evening of February 5, former assistant secretaries in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, Kenneth Marcus and Catherine Lhamon, discussed the implications of the state of civil rights enforcement and the future of America’s educational institutions. On February 6, the Law Review hosted four panels and a keynote presentation by Professor Paul A. Gowder of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Topics included the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Supreme Court’s treatment of history and tradition.

Click here to view the full symposium schedule, including panelists.

The University of Alabama School of Law strives to remain neutral on issues of public policy. The Law School’s communications team may facilitate interviews or share opinions expressed by faculty, staff, students, or other individuals regarding policy matters. However, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Law School, the University, or affiliated leadership.