The
Federalist Society for Law and
Public Policy Studiesis
a non-partisan conservative/ libertarian
organization dedicated to freedom, federalism, and judicial
restraint. The Federalist Society seeks to educate the legal
community through its
programs and publications about how limited constitutional government
based on the rule of law can have a positive effect on law and public
policy. The Federalist Society takes its name from The Federalist
(1787-88), which counted James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay
among
its contributors.
In 1982, the Federalist Society was founded by
law students at Harvard, Yale and Chicago (including former U.S.
Senator from Michigan and current Transportation Secretary, E. Spencer
Abraham, and former U.S. Congressman and candidate for Governor of
Indiana, David McIntosh) on the principles that the state exists to
preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central
to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty
of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. We seek
to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their
application through our various programs and activities. Our goal is
quite simple -- to foster much needed debate about contemporary legal
issues. Over 18,250 individuals are involved in the Society, including
more than 3,050 law students from over 140 student chapters throughout
the country. In addition, there are over 12,800 active lawyers in 55
chapters across the nation.
