If you are in the vicinity of George Mason Law School this evening, you are invited to a public program at the law school (the organizers asked me to post this):

Perspectives on Preemption: Federalism and the State AGs ___________________

MONDAY, MARCH 16 George Mason University School of Law 3301 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201 Hazel Hall 225 5:00pm -- 6:00pm Reception to follow in the Dean's Suite (RM. 215)

The extent to which state laws are or should be preempted by federal rules is the subject of great debate among legal scholars across the country. The issue of preemption is particularly salient for the 56 Attorneys General of the States, U.S. Territories/Commonwealths, and the District of Columbia, given their role as "the people's attorney." Is there virtue in the uniform application of federal rules designed by experts, as opposed to a patchwork of state standards? Or are State AGs and courts the best situated to protect the American public? Please join us for a moderated discussion on this important and timely legal matter.

FEATURING:

Hon. Hal Stratton Adjunct Professor, GMUSL Former Attorney General for the State of New Mexico and former Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Michael Greve John G. Searle Scholar and Director of the Federalism Project at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Co-editor and Contributor of Federal Preemption: States' Powers, National Interests

Doug Kendall Founder and President, Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) Editor and Co-author of Redefining Federalism: Listening to the States in Shaping our Federalism Legal commentator and blogger for The Huffington Post