William C. Hubbard Conference on Law and Education: Restoring Faith in Democratic Institutions
Gleacher Center, University of Chicago • 450 Cityfront Plaza Dr., Chicago, IL 60611 • April 10, 2026
Conference Organizers:
Traci Burch (ABF, Northwestern University), Tom Ginsburg (ABF, University of Chicago), and Michael S. Kang (Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law)
The theme for this year’s conference is “Restoring Faith in Democratic Institutions.” The program will feature panels and speakers examining topics such as misinformation and disinformation, political violence, authoritarianism and democratic decline, and race and the Voting Rights Act. Academics and practitioners will present cutting-edge research and explore emerging questions and possible trajectories for future analysis.
The conference will convene leading legal scholars, political scientists, practitioners, and others from across the country.
Conference Schedule
For comprehensive bios, please refer to the Participant Bios beneath the schedule.
8:30–9:00 AM CST—Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 AM CST—Welcome Remarks
Bryant Garth, American Bar Foundation
William C. Hubbard, University of South Carolina School of Law
9:15–10:30 AM CST—Panel #1: Authoritarianism and Democratic Decline
Moderator: Tom Ginsburg, American Bar Foundation and University of Chicago
Aziz Huq, University of Chicago
Laura Gamboa, University of Notre Dame
Richard W. Carney, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
10:30–10:45 AM CST—Break
10:45–12:00 PM CST—Panel #2: Race and the Voting Rights Act
Moderator: Traci Burch, American Bar Foundation and Northwestern University
Gui-Uriel Charles, Harvard University
Sean Morales Doyle, Brennan Center for Justice
Janelle Wong, University of Maryland
12:00–2:00 PM CST—Keynote and Lunch
2:00–3:15 PM CST—Panel #3: Misinformation/Disinformation
Moderator: Jothie Rajah, American Bar Foundation
Ray Block, Penn State University
Erik Nisbet, Northwestern University
V. S. Subrahmanian, Northwestern University
3:15–3:30 PM—Break
3:30–4:45 PM CST—Panel #4: Political Violence
Moderator: Michael S. Kang, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Laurel Harbridge-Yong, Northwestern University
Gowri Ramachandran, Brennan Center for Justice
Robert Pape, University of Chicago
4:45–5:00 PM CST—Closing Comments
Bryant Garth, American Bar Foundation
William C. Hubbard, University of South Carolina School of Law
5:00–7:00 PM CST—Reception
Gleacher Center, North Lounge (5th Floor)
450 N. Cityfront Plaza Dr.
Chicago, IL 60611 USA
Participant Bios
Cosponsored by the American Bar Foundation, the Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity, and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
About the American Bar Foundation
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is the world’s leading research institute for the empirical and interdisciplinary study of law. The ABF seeks to expand knowledge and advance justice through innovative, interdisciplinary, and rigorous empirical research on law, legal processes, and legal institutions. To further this mission the ABF will produce timely, cutting-edge research of the highest quality to inform and guide the legal profession, the academy, and society in the United States and internationally. The ABF’s primary funding is provided by the American Bar Endowment and the Fellows of The American Bar Foundation.
About the Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity, University of Chicago
The Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity is the Law School’s newest center, established in 2023. The Malyi Center stimulates new research on the sources of sound institutions, their consequences, and the conditions of their endurance. The Malyi Center sponsors academic research on institutions by researchers within the University of Chicago community and beyond and encourages real-world impact through conferences, speaker events, and visiting scholars. Tom Ginsburg, a leading international and comparative law expert, is the Malyi Center’s faculty director.
About Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, a professional graduate school of Northwestern University, is one of the country’s leading law schools. Founded in 1859, the school that would become known as Northwestern Pritzker was the first law school established in the city of Chicago. Today, Northwestern Pritzker prides itself on its rigorous intellectual environment, highly interdisciplinary faculty, low student-faculty ratio, and diverse and supportive community. Northwestern Pritzker graduates are leaders in the profession, from law firms to government, nonprofits to academia, tackling today's pressing legal issues.