Federalist Society’s next generation takes on culture wars with conversation

The Federalist Society’s National Lawyers’ Conference kicks off this week in Washington, D.C., where this year’s theme “New Frontiers” embraces everything from technological advances and the rise of artificial intelligence to young people at the forefront of the conservative legal movement — hoping to underscore the importance of open debate, free speech, and meaningful engagement across the political aisle.

The event will highlight law students from universities across the country, who are advocating for freedom of expression and diversity of viewpoints amid what they say is a rise in “cancel culture,” issues of censorship and incidents of campus unrest that have led to suppression of event speakers, or led to ostracization by peers or professors.

Students who head local Federalist Society chapters at law schools across the United States face this problem Very different obstacles in advocating freedom of expression and open debate, although some are more subtle than others.

As the next generation of lawyers prepare to join hundreds of fellow law students, future peers, and judges in D.C. for a conference on Thursday, each told Fox News Digital they see the same challenge facing young conservatives: not just defending free speech, but redefining it — in an academic environment they say too often punishes dissent rather than encourages open discussion.

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A portrait of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has been placed on a memorial in his honor, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The State Department said it had canceled the visas of several foreigners due to negative comments about Kirk’s assassination. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

Each of the students cited different attempts they had encountered to intimidate speech or disparage attempts to engage with others in good faith, part of a broader pattern occurring on campuses across the country.

Last month, New York University School of Law administrators canceled pro-Israel legal scholar Ilya Shapiro from speaking at an event hosted by the Federalist Society chapter on October 7.

Officials had originally suggested that the group postpone the event date, citing concerns about expected protest and unrest. The students resisted and insisted on keeping the date, saying instead that moving or postponing would be tantamount to “surrendering the veto.”

A backlash ensued from the public, and eventually from officials He agreed to let Shapiro will speak at the event as planned.

The unrest has intensified in recent years, and students have cited instances of attempts to intimidate them or ostracize their members, ranging from subtle to overt.

At the University of Michigan, students gathered outside a Federalist Society event “to take notes on who is coming and going,” said Matthew Holmes, president of the University of Michigan Law School chapter.

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Anti-Israel protesters make their way down Fifth Avenue toward Washington Square Park in New York City on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Rashid Omar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

He added: “There are groups that tell their members: If you go there, you are not welcome in our group.”

Other incidents targeted Jewish speakers and conservative viewpoints, leading some to describe it as a growing culture of intolerance.

“We are entering a new legal frontier,” said Jordan Holmes, a law student at the University of Texas at Austin, referring to this year’s conference theme.

“From artificial intelligence to the courts, everything is changing,” said Holmes, who heads the university’s Federalist Society chapter. “But if people stop talking to each other, that’s when the violence starts. We can’t let that happen.”

David Hwang, who leads the Federalist Society chapter at Yale University, echoed much of the same. Each of the law students spoke separately about the impact of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Kirk was killed while speaking on stage at a university in Utah. His death sent shockwaves across the United States, especially on college campuses across the country, where administrators and students alike expressed growing concerns about escalating violence.

Federalist Society presidents and other young conservatives interviewed after Kirk’s death cited concerns about their safety and fears of a broader chilling effect if they avoided hosting controversial speakers or events that invited spirited debate.

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A woman holds a sign as people attend a vigil hosted by Turning Point USA for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Colorado State University, on what was supposed to be the next stop on his speaking tour, in Fort Collins, Colorado, US on September 18, 2025. (Cheny Orr/Reuters)

“I think that’s something that really struck all of us,” Huang said of Kirk’s death and the environment on campus. “The threat of political violence — especially against conservatives in law schools and college campuses — is too troubling to have in the back of your mind.”

But he added that these concerns were quickly dispelled by an event hosted by the Federalist Society chapter of Yale University just one day later, which focused on… Controversial topic of birthright citizenship. “It was one of the most controversial events of the semester,” Huang said. “I was worried. I asked for more security, but things went well, and we actually had the highest attendance in years.”

“There’s a feeling that attendance equals endorsement,” Holmes said.

“I think one of his best sayings is: When people stop talking, that’s when the violence starts,” he said of Kirk. “I see a lot of people unwilling to participate, and they don’t even see that opposition ideas deserve legitimacy and recognition.”

Ultimately, Holmes said: “The idea that I can’t even talk to you because your ideas are disgusting – that cannot continue if we are to have a democratic republic.”

“I think other FedSoc presidents are reporting similar things happening, where people are realizing the importance of channeling our differences — into discussions, into events, into rhetoric — rather than into violence.”

To be sure, students say these efforts still have a long way to go.

However, they struck an optimistic tone about the future. Lamb pointed to her dean’s leadership and the political climate at Texas, while Holmes pointed to new civil discourse funding at the University of Michigan aimed at bringing students across the ideological spectrum together for structured and serious dialogue.

Signs on the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg)

“[What’s] “What’s unique about the Federalist Society and its society is that people don’t scoff at looking to the future,” Lamb said. “They’re energetic. And in a world that often asks young people to find something that makes them angry, it’s really refreshing to be around people, students and lawyers, who are really eager to think deeply about where the law is going and where we should go next.”

“Just last week, we brought on Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Scrametti, who just won a landmark case in the Supreme Court regarding gender transition, surgeries, and chemicals for children,” Huang said.

“People have been putting up posters, bringing them to events, saying the Fed is calling out child killers, and, you know, people have a right to express that disagreement — but that kind of irresponsible rhetoric is the kind of thing that raises the temperature in the national political sphere,” he continued.

“And I think we are all well aware of the consequences that could follow,” Huang said. “The way I prefer people to express their disagreement is simple.” “Come attend the event and ask tough questions.”

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This was echoed by each of the students, who will participate in this year’s conference in public-facing ways.

The Federalist Society’s student section and rotating student chapter president will host a live event at this year’s conference where they interview judges about a passion, hobby, or interest — and its relationship to the law. Holmes and Carolyn Martin, president of the Federalist Society chapter at the University of North Carolina School of Law, are scheduled to host this year’s meetings.

The hope, organizers said, is to help personalize judges beyond their day jobs, and communicate that they are human beings, given the strict courtroom procedures and heavy black robes.

“Come to the events, challenge your ideas,” Holmes said of Federalist Society chapters across the country. “Feel free to respond. We really want to examine ideas. Because when we do, that’s when we draw the best conclusions.”