On June 17, ACS hosted a panel at the 2006 National Convention addressing how to communicate with the public about legal issues in a convincing, straightforward way. Panelists discussed how to explain the importance of legislation and court decisions to the public, how to prepare for and respond to political backlash to judicial decisions and how to frame the debate on contentious legal issues. Panelists also explored strategies that have been particularly effective in the past and discussed new strategies going forward.From left to right, panelists included:

• Laura Esquivel (not pictured), Director of Issues Marketing and Research, People for the American Way
• Judge Abner Mikva (not pictured), former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; former White House Counsel; former Member of Congress (D-IL)
• Andrew Pincus (not pictured), Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP; former Assistant to the Solicitor General
• Ricki Seidman, TSD Communications; former Deputy Associate Attorney General
• Evan Wolfson, Executive Director, Freedom to Marry