“[The Federalist Society] is not really very revolutionary, but enormously successful for those who are intellectually curious, have a strong interest in our nation’s values and institutions, and are sufficiently self-assured to want to hear the best arguments by the best advocates on all sides concerning these subjects.”
The Columbia Law School chapter of the Federalist Society is a tight-knit group of law students interested in the structure of government and modes of statutory and constitutional interpretation.
The Columbia Federalist Society is particularly oriented towards textualist and originalist modes of interpretation, and finds its ideological roots in the writings of Justice Antonin Scalia, Judge Robert Bork, and Justice Clarence Thomas. Additionally, the Society emphasizes the principles of federalism and the separation of powers, and recognizes figures like Alexander Hamilton as spiritual predecessors.
While the Columbia Federalist Society is ideologically grounded in legal conservatism, the group welcomes and celebrates vigorous intellectual debate. Accordingly, the Society regularly organizes debates and discussions open to the student body. Past debates have included spirited discussion between senior counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom and Columbia Law Professor Katherine Franke concerning Masterpiece Cakeshop II.
The Columbia Federalist Society emphasizes the development of community as one of the chapter’s key goals. The Society offers a mentorship program, advises members on both job and clerkship interviews, and organizes regular chapter outings. The Columbia Federalist Society happily welcomes new members regardless of political orientation.
