David Rivkin announced today that he will speak on the constitutionality of health care reform in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 30, 2009. The discussion is presented by the Wilwaukee Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. David Rivkin initiated the question about the constitutionality of the individual mandate, the provision in pending legislation that requires every citizen to purchase health insurance. At issue is whether the individual mandate exceeds the limited, enumerated powers granted in the Constitution. Opposing viewpoints rely on the commerce clause to justify the legislation, which has now passed the House of Representatives.
David Rivkin’s appearance follows a series of media debates with law professors, television appearances, and articles in the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Rivkin is a frequent witness before the House and Senate on constitutional matters.
Mr. Rivkin will discuss his evaluation of the “individual mandate” to purchase health insurance, as well as specific, related Supreme Court rulings. The Constitution’s authority is limited to economic activity and to interstate commerce. It specifically limits the powers of the federal government, and it has had only 27 amendments since its adoption in 1787. Mr. Rivkin has repeatedly expressed concern about the extension of federal powers beyond the limited powers granted in the U.S. Constitution.
About the Federalist Society
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a Washington, DC-based organization of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. The Federalist Society has chapters in nearly 65 cities across the country and in cities in Europe. The Society was founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is in the province and duty of the judiciary to state what the law is, not what it should be. The Society seeks both to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities. For more information, visit www.thefederalistsociety.org.
Additional information about the David Rivkin appearance in Milwaukee is available at the Milwaukee Chapter website.
About David Rivkin
David Rivkin, an attorney in private practice and partner at Baker & Hostetler in Washington, D.C., has had a lengthy career distinguished by service in the White House during two presidents’ terms, in the U.S. Department of Justice, and in the U.S. Department of Energy. He is a well-known writer and media commentator on matters of constitutional and international law, as well as foreign and defense policy. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Nixon Center, Contributing Editor at the National Review, and a member of the Advisory Council at National Interest magazine. He currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He currently represents foreign governments and corporate entities on legal, political, economic, defense, and public relations matters.
For more information, visit www.davidrivkin.com.
