Monday, April 20 | 5:00 - 6:30pm | Virtual Only
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Washington, D.C. is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of litigation over the physical and symbolic transformation of the nation’s capital. From the demolition of the White House East Wing to proposed changes at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and plans for a monumental arch, a series of high-profile circumstances/lawsuits is testing the legal limits of executive authority, historic preservation law, and federal control over public space.

Courts are now grappling with foundational questions: Who has the legal authority to reshape the White House?  When does "alteration" become unlawful “demolition”? What procedural safeguards apply to iconic sites like the Kennedy Center and the development of new memorials?

Moderated by Nancy Weiss and featuring Marion Werkheiser, Founding Partner of Cultural Heritage Partners, Edwin Fountain, General Counsel of the American Battle Monuments Commission, and Emily Sexton, of Sexton Law PLLC, this panel will provide a real-time analysis of the laws involved in these situations. 

This program offers a rare opportunity to examine constitutional structure, administrative law, and cultural heritage law not in the abstract, but as they are actively being contested in court and in the public dialogue — shaping, in real time, the future of Washington’s most iconic spaces.

Featuring:

Marion Werkheiser, Founding Partner of Cultural Heritage Partners,
Edwin Fountain, General Counsel of the American Battle Monuments Commission,
Emily Sexton, Sexton Law PLLC
 

Moderated by:
Nancy Weiss, American University Washington College of Law.