Safeguarding Democracy: Lessons Learned from 1/6

In the year since the Capitol building was stormed by an angry mob intent on overturning the results of the 2020 election, congressional leaders and Department of Justice prosecutors have been working to hold those who orchestrated the Jan. 6 insurrection accountable. But advocates and lawmakers across the ideological spectrum agree that we must do more to reform our democratic institutions to guard against future threats. This panel will explore strategies that advocates, lawmakers, and law professors can take to safeguard democracy. How can we minimize the misinformation that fuels these threats? What can we learn from other countries who have lived through attacks on democracy? Are there legislative and institutional changes, including those contained in the Electoral Count Act and the Protect Our Democracy Act, that we should consider? And are there things that law schools and the broader legal community can do to build civil society resiliency and prevent another January 6th?

Featured Speakers:

Rachel Kleinfeld, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program, Moderator

Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law, Yale Law School

Hari Osofsky, Dean, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

Donald Sherman, Vice President and Chief Counsel, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)

This program is being co-hosted with the Society for American Law Teachers (SALT).