The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Jacksonville Federal Court Bar Association will present the first program in a speaker series celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The program, “The Declaration of Independence: A Conversation with Charles C.W. Cooke, led by UF Law Professor Gary Lawson,” is noon-1:30 p.m. March 10 in the 13th floor event space in the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse, Downtown at 300 N. Hogan St.
Cooke is senior writer at the National Review and author of “The Conservatarian Manifesto.”
A graduate of the University of Oxford where he studied modern history and politics, Cooke moved to the U.S. In 2011 and became an American citizen in 2018.
Lawson joined the University of Florida Levin College of Law faculty on July 1, 2024, after 24 years at Boston University School of Law and 11 years at Northwestern University School of Law.
He has authored or co-authored nine editions of a textbook on administrative law, a textbook on constitutional law, five university press books, one popular press book and more than one hundred articles on topics ranging from aspects of constitutional theory and history to the proof of legal propositions. His works have been cited in more than 20 opinions of U.S. Supreme Court justices.
The program will be followed by a barbecue lunch and discussion. The event, funded by the Bench Bar Fund and the Jacksonville Federal Court Bar Association, is free and not limited to Bar members, but space is limited. RSVP to Maria Daniels at [email protected] by March 4.
Future programs:
• Noon, April 9 in Orlando with John Stinneford, professor at the Levin College of Law.
• Noon, April 23 in Ocala with Levin College of Law interim Dean Merit McAllister.
• Noon, May 1 in Fort Myers with Ashli White, professor and chair of the University of Miami History Department.
• Noon, June 10 in Tampa with attorney Kannon Shanmugam, a partner at Paul Weiss in Washington, D.C..
When a speaker is presenting in one courthouse, it will be live streamed to the other courthouse where people are invited to bring lunch and view the program.