2024 ABA and State & Local Government Law Section Annual Meeting

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Thursday, August 1, 2024

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
SLG Executive Committee Meeting

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Election Tour - Chicago Board of Election
Commissioners (CBEC) Headquarters

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
SLG Zoning, Land Use & Cannabis: How to approach and navigate land use and zoning issues in emerging cannabis markets

Panelists will discuss land use and zoning challenges both operators and governments face with the expansion of legal cannabis use and sales across the nation.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to understand the landscape of cannabis regulations and how to navigate existing or new land use restrictions when trying to operate cannabis facilities. This panel includes leading experts on cannabis and land use discussing a topic that is becoming increasingly important to many state, tribal and local government practitioners as well as real estate, business, and government relations attorneys.

3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
SLG Disenfranchising the First Americans - Native American Voting Rights

Native Americans continue to lag behind other ethnic groups in rates of voter registration, turnout, and representation at all levels of government. 100 years after the Indian Citizenship Act, this panel will reflect on the history and state of the Native American franchise. This panel will touch on recent elections where Native Americans were critical voting blocs, ongoing challenges that Native American voters face, and how the law can advance the Native Vote.

5:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.
SLG Chair-Elect’s Reception
(This is a ticketed event at $25. Please purchase tickets through ABA Annual Meeting registration site.)

Friday, August 2, 2024

8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Presidential Showcase: Safeguarding Public Officials: Protecting Judges, Civil Servants, and the Rule of Law

Over the last few years, threats to judges, government workers, and their offices have increased in intensity and frequency, becoming an almost daily occurrence. Public officials at every level of government have been targets, including judges, state and local government officials, and election workers. However, these attacks are not just limited to those whose names are on the door, but also those who work for the names on the door. This program will explore local, state, and national efforts to curb violence, maintain necessary functions of government, and protect the rule of law. It will also explore the implications and repercussions of such attacks on the judiciary, civil servants, and other government institutions.

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
SLG Sheetz and the Future of Takings Jurisprudence

Panelists will discuss the recently decided Sheetz v. County of El Dorado, California, how this decision affects the Nolan/Dolan test, and what questions SCOTUS left unanswered.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to understand the background of the Sheetz decision and what the SCOTUS’s decision means from one of the attorneys who represented Mr. Sheetz.  This panel includes experts on takings and exactions jurisprudence discussing a topic that can affect the future of state and local government regulations important to many state and local government practitioners as well as real estate, business, and government relations attorneys.

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Election Tour - Chicago Board of Election
Commissioners (CBEC) Headquarters

12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Maggiano’s Little Italy - SLG Jefferson B. Fordham Awards Luncheon
(This is a ticketed event at $75. Please purchase tickets through ABA Annual Meeting registration site.)

2:30pm – 4:00pm
SLG It Takes a Village:  How Local Governments [or Chicago], Non-Profits, and Pro Bono Attorneys Are Responding to the New Wave of Immigrants

The current influx of new immigrants, many asylum seekers, has presented significant challenges for state and local governments.  Chicago has been no exception.  This panel will discuss how Chicago is addressing challenges it has had to meet the needs of these new arrivals, the legal and humanitarian issues these new immigrants are facing, and the critical role non-profits and pro bono legal counsel have played in the process.

Saturday, August 3, 2024

8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
SLG Membership Committee / Diversity Committee

8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
SLG Urban Lawyer Advisory Board - ULAB

9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
SLG Publications Oversight Board - POB

9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
SLG Land Use Committee

10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
SLG Ensuring Trust in Our Institutions

What do election administration, the courts, and government agencies have in common? These subjects and the people who serve in these different areas of government serve important forward-facing roles to the public they serve. Join an engaging discussion on the important role that these sectors play in instilling trust in the process.

11:30 p.m.– 1:00 p.m.
SLG Council Meeting & Nominating Committee Report

1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
SLG All Committees’ Meeting – Content planning