THE STANFORD LAW CHAPTER OF THE American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) is in growth mode these days. Last year it hosted 27 events, won two awards, and its president, Andrew Blotky ’09 (BA ’02), was elected to the ACS national board of directors. With 200 members and counting, the Stanford Law chapter ranks among the largest and most active of ACS’s over 160 student chapters.

Founded in 2001 in the wake of Bush v. Gore, the national ACS organization has emerged as a liberal answer to the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, which, since its beginnings in 1982, has grown into a nationwide network for conservative lawyers and law students. Stanford Law students established a founding chapter of the Federalist Society in 1982.

Recently, Stanford Law’s ACS members have focused many of their efforts on cultivating connections beyond the law school. Last fall they launched ACS Bay Area Networking & Development (BAND), which brings together law students and lawyers in small groups to discuss public policy and legal issues. Each “ACS family” has between eight and 14 members and meets four times per year.

“The goal is to connect ACS members in the Bay Area who wouldn’t normally cross paths,” says Blotky. “There isn’t a set agenda other than working to build a stronger progressive community.”

The BAND project was recognized with an award at the ACS National Convention in Washington, D.C., this June, which 15 SLS students attended. The SLS chapter also was singled out at the convention for its strong programming efforts, which have ranged from debates on the death penalty to visits from federal circuit judges.

Many of the group’s events—including a talk with fired U.S. attorney John McKay—have provided fodder for its popular Summary Judgments podcast (http://acslaw.stanford.edu/ podcast), which discusses policy issues relevant to the ACS community.