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ARTICLE I - NAME AND HISTORY
The name of this organization shall be the American University Legislation and Policy Brief at the Washington College of Law, hereafter referred to as “the AULPB.”
The American University Legislation and Policy Brief (AULPB) is the legislative-based legal publication of the Washington College of Law. Founded in 2008 as the Legislation and Policy Roundtable, it was created to provide a legal analysis of current legislative initiatives and policies and to encourage meaningful debate on timely issues; for example, in the 2008–09 academic year, the Roundtable discussed voter disenfranchisement and fraud in the 2008 Elections.
When it transitioned into a brief, it aimed to increase discussion and awareness of legal issues in pending legislation, with the goal of making WCL “a better support mechanism for the future legislative-lawyer by providing training in, and a publishing forum for, in-depth legislative history and analysis.” In 2011, the Editorial Board started the AULPB Blog as a means to publish more quickly on a greater diversity of policy issues.
The Brief went dormant in Fall 2014, and was resurrected again in 2018. After initially being conceived of as a series of events, then later as a full-service bi-annual publication, then later as an electronic-only publication, and in other iterations as just an annual symposium, the mission, vision, and goals of the AULPB have varied in the last 17 years since its founding.
ARTICLE II -MISSION AND PURPOSES
Section 1 - Mission
The AULPB shall be a student-run publication providing a legal analysis of current legislation and policy issues before federal and state legislatures.
In recent years, there have been increasing threats to the fundamental nonpartisan values of governance: justice, constitutional democracy, and equality. Given these circumstances, merely talking about current issues of legislation and policy is insufficient to truly educate, inform, and do our due diligence as current and future leaders, attorneys, officers of the court, and members of this community. To fully engage with issues of legislation and policy, we must take action and think critically and strategically about how to maximize our impact. One tactic to effectuate this is empowering students to talk about cutting-edge areas of policy with a timely, flexible blog format, and another is integrating and teaching structural advocacy for legislative and policy issues.
Another element of change that is critical at this juncture is a shift in focus from purely national or federal legislation and policy to state and local policy. This shift reflects our strategic determination that we can make a greater impact by engaging with and learning from smaller jurisdictions, the "laboratories" of policy innovation.
Section 2 - Purposes:
1. Introduce students to the fields of legislation and public policy;
2. Provide educational forums and analytical resources on current legislation for students and faculty at the Washington College of Law and individuals involved in public policy;
3. Teach students how to leverage their legal research and writing skills to engage in applied policy and legislative advocacy tactics by writing and/or submitting legislative testimony, executive comments, and amicus briefs; ;
4. Encourage students to engage in federal, state, and local policy issues, while utilizing available resources in Washington, D.C. to further this objective;
5. Develop a resource (by way of the online blog, publicly accessible Amicus projects, or in-person advocacy) for lawmakers and congressional staff on the legal implications of policy initiatives and pending legislation;
6. Offer students an opportunity to publish timely written pieces on relevant policy topics;
7. Host event(s) on campus to allow students to learn from practitioners and experts in the fields of legislation, public policy, and policy advocacy.
ARTICLE III -STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
The AULPB shall not discriminate on the basis of: ancestry, color, race, cultural or ethnic background, economic status, ideological, philosophical, or political beliefs or affiliations, marital or parental status, national or regional origin, physical disability, religion, or religious or denominational affiliation, gender or sexual orientation.
ARTICLE IV -EDITORIAL AND WRITING STAFF
Section 1 - Editorial Staff
The editorial staff shall meet regularly and assist in editing and coordinating the content of the publication and other group activities. The Editor-in-Chief has the discretion to delegate editing responsibilities to the other Editors. All editors shall support the Editor-in-Chief in carrying out the responsibilities necessary to make the organization a robust and engaged student publication.
Editor-in-Chief The Editorial Staff shall include one Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief shall be responsible for annual symposium discussion, project and publication oversight, administration of the AULPB and implementation of this Constitution and any potential bylaws. The Editor-in-Chief shall have final approval over all content of the publication and shall review all material prior to publication. The Editor-in-Chief shall approve agenda items for the Symposium and other events. The Editor-in-Chief shall also be responsible for coordinating responsibilities with the editorial staff, as needed. The Editor-in-Chief may create or remove editorial or writing staff positions as necessary.
The Editorial Staff currently includes the following positions:
Senior Amicus Editor So long as the AULPB continues the Amicus projects, there shall be at least one and no more than two Senior Amicus Editor(s) responsible for executing the Amicus projects with the assistance of other Amicus Editors. The Senior Amicus Editor(s) shall train junior staffers on the function and technical logistics of each Amicus project, assign projects to junior staffers, manage, edit, and contribute to committee members’ contributions, and ensure that these projects are submitted in accordance with the Constitution and potential bylaws.
Senior Communications Editor The Editorial Staff shall include one Senior Communications Editor. The Senior Communications Editor shall be responsible for managing all official AULPB social media channels and website. The Senior Communications Editor shall virtually post and share relevant AULPB events, happenings, blogs, publications, and any other additional outreach or publicity via official social media channels and the website for AULPB that the Editorial Staff may see fit in accordance with the Constitution and potential bylaws.
Senior Publications Editor The Editorial Staff shall include one Senior Publications Editor. The Senior Publications Editor shall be responsible for supervising Blog and Articles Editors and executing the Blog and Articles Publication processes. The Senior Publications Editor shall train junior staffers on the function and technical logistics of Blogs and Articles within AULPB, and shall manage, edit, and oversee Blog and Articles Publications. The Senior Publications Editor shall ensure that these projects are submitted in accordance with the Constitution and potential bylaws.
Senior Symposium Editor
Senior Recent Developments Editor The Editorial Staff shall include at least one and no more than two Senior Recent Developments Editor(s) responsible for creating a newsletter biweekly updating the WCL student body on what is happening within the federal, state, and local branches, including but not limited to legislation, laws, executive orders, and job postings.
And any additional Associate Editors or those yet to be named
Other Editorial Staff may include some or all of the following:
Managing Editor
Executive Editor
Online Editor
Articles Editor
Blog Editor
And any additional Associate Editors or those yet to be named
Section 2 - Publications Staff
AULPB Student Writing Process
As a student-driven publication, the AULPB places particular emphasis on the production of student pieces. Though submission of a student article does not guarantee publication, it is our goal to publish blogs from each junior staffer within their first year on the AULPB. This section of the handbook outlines the roles and expectations of Brief staff in the student writing process.
Staffer Blogs
All junior staffers must produce one blog post of publishable quality during the semester they are assigned to write. The AULPB will also allow any member to write a blog post of publishable quality at any time. Any blog post must be focused on a recent legislative or policy issue of the writer’s choosing. For the purpose of relevance, a “recent legislative or policy issue” refers to any issue enacted within the past two years, or one that is currently being drafted, adjudicated, debated, or appealed during the blog writing process. All final decisions of what constitutes a “recent legislative or policy issue” lies with the Editor-in-Chief and Senior Publications Editor.
Writers will be responsible for timely producing a topic proposal, outline, and two drafts, resulting in a blog post of publishable quality. Throughout this process, writers are to work closely with their chosen Blog editor to ensure deadlines are met and that the piece meets the high standards of the AULPB.
In the semester they are not assigned to write their blogs, junior staffers are required to participate in the Executive/Legislative section of the Amicus projects, in accordance with the guidelines below.
Blog Editors
Throughout the student writing process, Blog Editors are primarily responsible for working closely with student writers as they prepare their Blog Posts for publication. Blog Editors must read and provide constructive feedback on each submission made by their writers. Blog Editors must also check that citations in students' footnotes comply with the rules and procedures of the Bluebook (21st Edition). Assistant / Associate Editors will review each draft and work with the student writer to ensure that all citations are correctly formatted prior to the submission of a final draft.
Section 3 - Amicus Projects
The Amicus projects — amicus being the latin word for friend — are hybrids between publication and advocacy, as a way to marry the research, writing, and editing skills of law students and the impact litigation and policy advocacy skills of attorneys. Amicus is traditionally used in the law for “amicus curiae” or “friend of the court” briefs, but these projects position the AULPB staff and editorial board as all “friends” to all three branches of government — courts, legislative bodies, and executive agencies. This multifaceted approach has five main goals:
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Influence or change the outcome of pending cases or legislation to effect legal change;
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Bolster public information and influence public opinion about important law and policy issues;
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Give students an opportunity to apply their legal research and writing skills to real-world issues;
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Help students gain familiarity with advocacy tools and lawmaking in all three branches of government; and
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Contribute to students’ professional development through applied legal practice.
There are currently two branches of the Amicus Projects: (1) Legislative Testimony, and (2) Executive Notice-and-Comment responses (“Executive Comments” for short).. The Legislative Testimony and Executive Comment projects (Leg/Exec) are paired together, run in both the Fall and Spring, and have similar requirements.
Junior staffers who write their blog in the Fall will participate in the Spring semester Leg/Exec project. Junior staffers who write their blog in the Spring will participate in the Fall semester Leg/Exec project.
Senior staffers may work on either a blog or the Leg/Exec project.
Leg/Exec Project
To participate, staffers must attend the executive comment and legislative testimony training session and all mandatory staff events, unless there is an excused absence. Students may work independently or in teams of 2 to draft legislative testimony on pending or upcoming legislation. The technical guidelines and requirements of both projects can be outlined in any potential bylaws and training events. The Senior Amicus Editor and any Assistant Amicus Editors shall review the testimony and comments before they are submitted. For the Legislative Testimony project, students are not required to deliver the testimony, or request to do so, but are required to submit the testimony to a legislative body or representative.
Section 4 -Membership
All members of the AULPB must be Washington College of Law students in good standing, per the standards of the WCL Office of the Registrar.
Editorial Staff Appointments: The Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editorial Board shall coordinate to appoint the rising Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editorial Board. Editorial staff members who will remain enrolled in the Washington College of Law and wish to continue in their role with the AULPB may do so with the approval of the editorial staff responsible for appointments and continuity.
Editorial Staff Applications: Selection of the AULPB writing staff shall be achieved through a competitive application process, involving the collection of resumes, cover letters and/or statements of interest. Editorial staff has the discretion to interview applicants. Specific requirements can be outlined in any potential AULPB bylaws. Incoming staffers shall be selected by the incoming and outgoing Senior Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief. Invitations shall be extended by the Editor-in-Chief. Incoming Senior Editorial Board members shall be selected by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the corresponding outgoing Senior Editorial Board member, with one other editorial board member as a tie-breaker as necessary.
Transition: The current Editor-in-Chief and the appropriate Senior Editorial Board member will interview and select the incoming Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editorial Board by the end of March. The newly appointed Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editorial Board will assume their positions, begin training, and receive all relevant transitional memorandum before the second week of April. The incoming Editor-in-Chief and the Senior Editorial Board will officially take over their respective positions the day after the final day of the Spring Semester.
Termination: Any member of the Editorial Board or AULPB staff may voluntarily resign by submitting notice of resignation to the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editorial Board may remove a member after holding a vote in which three-fourths of the Editorial Board recommend termination for cause. A member shall not be removed without being given the opportunity to speak. If the member under consideration for termination is the Editor-in-Chief or part of the Senior Editorial Board, they must not attend the determination meeting and are required to abstain from voting. If the Editor-in-Chief or any member of the Senior Editorial Board has a genuine conflict of interest regarding the individual being considered for termination, they must also refrain from attending the meeting and abstain from voting.
If at any point a student writer becomes unresponsive, consistently demonstrates poor performance, or fails to make a good-faith effort, the respective Senior Editors and Assistant Editors shall report the issue to the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief will then contact the student writer to arrange a one-on-one meeting to address the concerns. Any further disciplinary action shall be determined at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and the Senior Editorial Board, in accordance with the procedures outlined in the “Termination” section.
Termination for cause reasons can include but are not limited to: violations of any potential bylaws; violation of the AULPB’s anti-discrimination policy, American University’s anti-discrimination or harassment policies; violation of the student Honor Code; failure to complete the mandatory duties of their position; failure to respond to the Editor-in-Chief within 2 business weeks during the semester regarding their position or responsibilities.
ARTICLE V -FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS, PROJECTS, PUBLICATIONS, EVENTS
Section 5 - Meetings
The entire staff shall meet at least once per semester for a General Body Meeting. The Editorial Board shall meet at least every other week. The Editor-in-Chief shall arrange meetings at his/her discretion. All AULPB meetings may be in-person or virtual, but at least one meeting per semester of the staff or Editorial Board shall be in-person to the extent practicable.
Section 6 - Projects, Publications and Events
The AULPB shall strive to complete at least three Amicus projects and publish at least 10 blogs each academic year. The AULPB shall conduct at least one symposium each academic year. The AULPB shall also host 1 non-symposium event, panel, or in-person activity. The Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editorial Board reserve the right to determine which material, themes and speakers shall be included in projects and events. The AULPB shall welcome all submissions, but shall reserve the right to publish, edit or return material at its discretion.
ARTICLE VI -BYLAWS
The operation of the AULPB shall be in accordance with any potential bylaws.
ARTICLE VII -AMENDMENT
Any proposed amendments to this Constitution must be drafted by an AULPB editor and approved by a majority vote of the Editorial Board.