Karen M. Kedrowski, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, is involved with two expert panel discussions on the Iowa State campus this fall.
On Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union, Kedrowski will moderate the university’s 2022 Constitution Day Panel, “It’s Personal: What Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Mean for Individual Liberties.” The panelists will discuss how recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court have altered Americans understanding of privacy, freedom of religion, and personal liberties; the immediate legal effects of those decisions; and how other personal freedoms could be affected by upcoming cases.
The panelists are Dirk Deam, a teaching professor in the Department of Political Science; Julie Roosa, J.D., a lecturer in the Department of Political Science where she teaches law and politics; and Leah Patton, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Iowa, where she litigates civil rights and civil liberties cases.
The panel is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the ACLU of Iowa, the Catt Center, and the Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
Kedrowski also organized the panel “Does Iowa Need a Gun Rights Amendment?,” which will be held on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. In November, Iowa voters will vote on whether to add a right to own and bear firearms to the Iowa Constitution and require strict scrutiny for any alleged violations of the right brought before a court. Panelists will discuss the history of the proposed amendment and what it means for gun rights in Iowa, what is required for an amendment to be added to the Iowa Constitution, and provide arguments from advocates for each side.
The panelists are John Klaus of the League of Women Voters of Ames & Story County, who will discuss the legislative history of the amendment; Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa and co-leader of Iowans for Responsible Gun Laws; and Dave Funk, president of the Iowa Firearms Coalition. Clark Wolf, a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, will moderate the discussion.
The panel is co-sponsored by the Catt Center and the Committee on Lectures.