Workshops
Our workshops allow small groups of students with a strong interest in a particular topic a unique opportunity to engage with it. Intended for students looking for more substance than a one-off public event can provide, but who may not have the time to commit to something as intensive as a reading group, workshops are 3-4 hour commitments comprised of conversations hosted by recognized experts, breakout sessions, and a complimentary lunch. Browse upcoming workshops and register for them below.
Fall 2024 Workshops
Nothing planned yet!
Be sure to check back frequently as we update our list. Have any questions or even an idea of your own? Email us at info@theblueridgecenter.org and we’ll work to make it happen.
Past Workshops
Unpacking Harvard: Affirmative Action Workshop
When and where?
4/10/24 - 5:45 PM-8 PM
What’s this workshop all about?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard is both profoundly relevant and highly contested. The Court held that the U.S. Constitution, specifically the Equal Rights Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, along with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, do not allow Universities to decide admissions based— in part or in whole— on race. What exactly are the implications of Harvard? Where do University admissions committees and aspiring college applicants go from here? Was the Court right or wrong in its ruling?
That last question is for you to decide for yourself! This workshop entails a balanced overview of the decision by two prominent legal experts with firsthand experience in issues of this kind.
Bryan Weir
A graduate of Georgetown and George Mason, Weir is a former law clerk to Judge Carlos T. Bea of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He currently serves as adjunct professor for the Supreme Court Clinic at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University and is a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia bars. Notable among his many areas of expertise are his experiences with many cases involving the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments.
Meet the discussion leaders
Scott Ballenger
Scott Ballenger currently serves as director of the Appellate Litigation Clinic at UVA Law, having graduated from there himself in 1996. He clerked for Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and for Justice Antonin Scalia, worked for the DOJ, and practiced for 20 years as associate and then partner at Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C. Ballenger has a uniquely notable experience in having worked for the University of Texas in Fisher v. University of Texas— the affirmative action case preceding 2023’s Harvard decision.
Unpacking Dobbs
When and where?
2/2/24 - 2:00 PM-5:00 PM
What’s this workshop all about?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is one of the most controversial in SCOTUS history. It overturned the Court’s landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, declaring that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. What exactly are the implications of Dobbs? Where do pro-choice and pro-life activists go from here? Was the Court right or wrong in its ruling?
That last question is for you to decide for yourself! This workshop entails a balanced overview of the decision by two prominent law professors.
Meet the discussion leaders
Naomi Cahn
A UVA Law professor, Naomi Cahn has expertise in family law, feminist jurisprudence, and reproductive technology, among other fields. She’s also the co-director of UVA Law’s Family Law Center and has written at length on the implications of the Dobbs decision. Please see her UVA Law biography for more information.
Helen Alvaré
A professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, Helen Alvaré has expertise in family law, the intersection of law and religion, and marriage issues, among other areas. She has also written extensively on the implications on the Dobbs decision. Please see her Scalia Law biography for more information.