Inside Policy | Balance of Power: How Courts and States are Impacting Policy
States and the courts have emerged as high-profile players amid swiftly changing federal policy, stepping in with key actions related to immigration, climate change, civil liberties and other areas.
Whether they question or affirm, impede or support proposed federal policy decisions, State’s Attorneys General are a significant element in nascent federal priorities. Join this session to hear from James E. Tierney, the former attorney general of Maine, and learn more about the role of states and the courts in the current federal agenda and explore the consequent impact on inclusive growth, sustainability, and equitable government systems.
Speakers
James E. Tierney, Director, StateAG.org, and Lecturer, Harvard Law School
Lavea Brachman, Vice President of Programs, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation (moderator)
About Our Speakers
James E. Tierney is a leading authority on state attorneys general and directs the attorney general clinic at Harvard University. Previously he taught at Columbia Law School where he was the Director of the National State Attorney General Program. Professor Tierney is also director of StateAG.org. He served as the Attorney General of Maine, has played an active role in the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), served as a Special Prosecutor in several states and authored articles and analysis.
Lavea Brachman is Vice President of Programs at the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and a nationally recognized expert on urban policy and practice in older industrial cities. She brings strong experience to her position as the former executive director and co-founder of the Greater Ohio Policy Center, a frequent national and international fellow and co-author of “Regenerating America’s Legacy Cities,” a guide to innovative solutions in distressed urban cores. Lavea has practiced environmental law, focused on sustainability issues with a Chicago nonprofit organization and championed change in cities and neighborhoods. Her work at RCWJ Foundation focuses on youth, entrepreneurship, economic development and green space.