October 17: Urban Unflappability: How Local Law Can Withstand a Hostile Federal Government

Cities are facing unprecedented negative attention from the federal government, and the two levels of government have policies that are often in intense tension with one another.

 In this colloquium, we will explore urban areas’ ability to push back against federal initiatives that are contrary to their own values. Specifically, we will compare the federal government’s powers with local governments’ power and their respective reach, the anti-commandeering doctrine, and the spending clause as ways in which urban ideals are protected from the federal government and how these doctrines affect particular urban policies.
Title:
Urban Unflappability: How Local Law Can Withstand a Hostile Federal Government
Fordham Urban Law Journal Cooper-Walsh Colloquium pres.
Date/Time:

Friday, October 17, 2025 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (ET) Eastern Time
Register Now!
By:
Fordham Law School
Credit:
CLE Credits will be available.

Panel Topics and Confirmed Speakers:

• From the Ground Up: Exploring the Dimensions of Local Government Authority
• Professor Richard Briffault, Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation, Columbia Law School
• Professor Meryl Chertoff, Executive Director, Georgetown Project on State and Local Government Policy and Law; Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
• Professor Justin Weinstein-Tull, Professor of Law, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University
• Professor Kaitilin Caruso, Associate Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law
• Moderator: Professor Aaron Saiger, Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law
• The Boundaries of Belonging: Local Immigration Laws in the Federal Landscape
• Professor Rick Su, Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor of Law, The University of North Carolina School of Law
• Professor P. Deep Gulask, Professor of Law; Director, Byron White Center, University of Colorado Law School
• Professor Martha Davis, University Distinguished Professor of Law; Co-Director, Center for Global Law and Justice; Co-Director, Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy; Faculty Director, NuLawLab, Northeastern University School of Law
• Moderator: Professor Jennifer Gordon, John D. Feerick Chair, Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law
• Climate of Conflict: Local Environmental Action vs. Federal Authority
• Professor Rebecca Bratspies, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
• Professor Sarah Fox, Assistant Professor, Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
• Vincent Nolette, Equitable Cities Climate Law Fellow, Columbia Law School
• Federalism and Fair Housing: Local Innovation and National Standards
• Professor Paula Franzese, Peter W. Rodino Professor of Law, Senior Counsel for Leadership and Professionalism Initiatives and Director of the Leadership Fellows Program, Seton Hall Law School
• Professor Ashira Ostrow, Peter S. Kalikow Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and Land Use Law, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Executive Director of the Wilbur F. Breslin Center for Real Estate Studies, Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law

More Information And Registration