This has been a long week as we wait for the race for president to be determined, and it is still not clear what is ahead for our nation. Next Friday, November 13 at noon, Peter Kierst, constitutional law expert and principal lecturer in Political Science at the University of New Mexico will help us understand what happened in this presidential election, what the electoral college has to do with it, and what may still lie ahead as President Trump continues to challenge the vote totals.
Peter S. Kierst has been on the faculty since 2005, teaching Constitutional Law and American political theory. He has an M.A. in Political Science and a J.D., both from UNM. He practiced law, primarily as a litigator, from 1984-2014. Among his cases were the first plaintiff’s sexual abuse lawsuits brought in New Mexico, and New Mexico’s lawsuit against the tobacco industry. He represented three Governors of New Mexico in various matters. From 1991-2005 he was a partner in the firm of Eaves, Bardacke, Baugh, Kierst and Kiernan, and then he joined Sutin, Thayer and Browne, PA. He is AV (highest) rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the oldest and most valued lawyer rating service, and in 2008, was awarded the New Mexico State Bar’s Zenith Award for excellence in teaching ethics and professionalism to lawyers. Kierst has also received numerous recognitions from UNM student organizations for his teaching.
His last piece of litigation was as one of the lead counsel in Griego v. Oliver, which in 2013 secured the right of same-sex couples to marry in New Mexico. For this work the New Mexico ACLU gave him its prized Guardian of Liberty Award.
When asked to provide some points he expects to discuss, Peter replied, “It’s difficult to outline the points for my talk since it will depend in such large part on what has happened between election day and the day of the talk.” He listed his goals for the talk as:
¨Accurately explain the state of the election that day, and what might be expected in the days to come.
¨Explain the contending legal factions: the role of the states, the federal government (in particular, Congress, and the political parties in presidential elections
¨The legal and historical context—to the extent time and interest permit
¨Bush v. Gore(2000) and the constitutional fact that there is no individual right to vote for president guaranteed by the Constitution.
¨The primary roles of states in determining eligibility to vote, and in certifying the results of elections.
¨The reasons for the Electoral College and the anomalous result that the candidate with the most votes is not necessarily the “winner.” Created by the Federal Convention of 1787 as a compromise between those who wanted a direct, popular election of the president and those who thought that was an impractical and unrealistic goal.
¨This latter attitude prompted by the sheer size and complexity of the country which was going to be electing the president, and the novelty of electing a national executive---a thing for which there was no precedent.
¨Why this unusual system persists long after the rationale for it has lost much of its force.
Here is your Zoom invitation.
Topic: LWVCNM Member Meeting
Time: Nov 13, 2020 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
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Passcode: 714137
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Karen Wentworth
Co-President, LWVCNM
(505) 263-9066