Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Event Series

Semester

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ICAL .ICS

Series Contacts

Steven T. Collis
steven.collis@law.utexas.edu
Sandra Garcia
sandra.garcia@law.utexas.edu

The Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center promotes understanding and appreciation of the First Amendment through scholarship, debate, and civil discourse. Founded on the belief that open discussion is vital to democracy and the rule of law, the Center hosts events such as lectures, book launches, the Bowden Fellow Speakers Series, and forums for diverse and dissenting views.

Upcoming Events

Bowden Fellows Speaker Series: Christina Mulligan (Brooklyn Law)

Wednesday August 26, 2026

11:50am - 12:50pm

TNH 2.137 Gayle Classroom

Moderator

Steven T. Collis

Professor Christina Mulligan (Brooklyn Law) explores the nature, evolution, and internal limits of the state police power.

Lunch will be served. Please RSVP.

"Faithfully Interposing the Constitutional Shield ": Quaker Legal Resistance, the Right of Petition, and the Federalization of Slavery

Monday August 31, 2026

11:50am - 12:50pm

TNH 2.140 Wright Classroom

Moderator

Steven T. Collis

Dr. Paul E. Kerry (BYU) examines the opposition of the Religious Society of Friends to Texas annexation, the Mexican-American War, and the Fugitive Slave Act as a form of legal resistance to the federalization of slavery. His talk places the First Amendment right of petition at the heart of the story, showing how Quakers used memorials, petitions, antislavery newspapers, religious meetings, and public advocacy to challenge congressional suppression under the gag rule and resist federal complicity in slavery’s expansion and enforcement. The paper recovers a neglected chapter in the history of antislavery constitutionalism.

Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP. We hope you join us!