In addition, the LSSC is committed to raising awareness about the threat of preemption and its negative consequences for local democracy. It is meeting this goal by establishing and providing quarterly briefings for a peer-to-peer network for city attorneys, webinars and in-person briefings, publication of legal articles, and limited media outreach.
City Attorneys Network
The National League of Cities (NLC), the Urban Law Center at Fordham Law School, A Better Balance, and other partners have worked to build and facilitate a city attorney peer network on preemption that connects quarterly –either by phone or at regional in-person meetings. The LSSC will be sponsoring three regional city attorney meetings in 2018.
Webinars and Briefings
The legal team – collectively and individually – sponsored or participated in close to 30 webinars, conferences, and speaking engagements in 2017 that provided the opportunity to raise awareness about preemption, disseminate tools, and share new research and strategies with attorneys, advocacy organizations and policymakers. Audiences included state and municipal lawmakers, law schools, funders and organizations ranging from the American Constitution Society to the American Heart Association. LSSC attorneys and advocates have close to 20 webinars and presentations scheduled for the first four months of 2018, including law school presentations, briefings for city attorneys and mayors with the National League of Cities, and talks at advocate and funder meetings.
Legal Essays & Articles
The legal team, headed by Nestor Davidson at Fordham was requested to submit an issue brief on preemption to the American Constitution Society. The brief, The Troubling Turn in State Preemption: The Assault on Progressive Cities and How Cities Can Respond, was published and reached more than 200 student and lawyer chapters in 48 states and almost every law school.
The Troubling Turn in State Preemption
The Challenge of New Preemption, Richard Briffault, published by Stanford Law Review, June 2018
The Attack on American Cities, Richard Schragger, Texas Law Review Summer 2018).