Thursday, February 27
12:00-1:00 p.m. - Opening Luncheon
Home Rule and Lobbying: Investigating localities’ ability to lobby their state
officials
Paul Diller
Professor of Law
Willamette University College of Law
1:15-2:35 p.m. - Panel 1
Home Rule and Gun Regulation: Assessing gun sanctuaries that conflict with state
law by concentrating on gun violence in Seattle and Pittsburgh
- William Rhee, professor of law, WVU (moderator)
- Sheila Simon, assistant professor of law, Southern Illinois University School
of Law
- Matthew Davis, visiting lecturer in law, Birmingham City University School of
Law
2:35-2:45 p.m. - Snacks and refreshments
2:45-4:05 p.m. - Panel 2
Home Rule and LGBTQ+ Legislation: Analyzing the importance and effect of local
LGBTQ+ legislation.
- Valarie Blake, associate professor of law, WVU (moderator)
- Mark Dorosin, managing attorney, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- Rosemary Humway-Warmuth, city solicitor, Wheeling, WV
- Andrew Schneider, executive director, Fairness West Virginia
Dinner on your own.
Friday, February 28
8-8:45 a.m. - Registration/Breakfast
8:45-9:00 a.m. - Welcome Remarks
Jessica Haught
Associate Dean for Administration
WVU College of Law
9:00-10:20 a.m. - Panel 3
Home Rule and Criminal Justice Reform: Examining the potential for localities to
implement criminal justice reform with a specific focus on the West Virginia
public defender system.
- Hope DeLap, Cleckley Fellow, West Virginia Innocence Project, WVU Law
- Ralph McKinney, assistant professor of management, Marshall University
- Casey Baker, assistant professor of legal environment, Marshall University
- Jeffrey Usman, associate professor of law, Belmont University College of Law
10:20-10:40 a.m. - Snacks and refreshments
10:40 a.m-12:00 p.m. - Panel 4
Home Rule and Consumer Law: Delving into how municipalities can best address consumer
protection
- Jonathan Marshall, Director, WVU Law/Marshall University Center for Consumer
Law and Policy (moderator)
- Dr. C. Damien Arthur, Director, WVU Law/Marshall University Center
for Consumer Law and Policy
- Loren Allen, General Counsel and Director of Government Relations, West Virginia Bankers Association
- Kathy Lawson, General Counsel, West Virgnia Division of Financial Institutions
- Kevin Baker, City Attorney, Charleston, West Virginia
- Jennifer Wagner, Co-director, Mountain State Justice
12:15 p.m.-12:55 p.m. - Keynote Luncheon
Courts and Home Rule
Frayda S. Bluestein
David M. Lawrence Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government
University of North Carolina School of Government
1:10-2:30 p.m. - Panel 5
Home Rule and West Virginia: Looking back at the West Virginia Home Rule Pilot
program from its inception in 2007 to its statewide enactment in 2019.
- Jesse Richardson, professor of law, WVU (moderator)
- Robert Bastress professor of law, WVU
- Ryan Simonton, Kay Casto & Cheney PLLC
- Paul Ellis, Forbes Law Office PLLC
2:30-2:50 p.m. - Snacks and refreshments
2:50-4:10 p.m. - Panel 6
Home Rule and the Environment: Exploring how municipalities address environmental
policy gaps including farmland solar policy and pipeline routing.
- James Van Nostrand, director, WVU Law Center for Energy and Sustainable Development
(moderator)
- Heidi Robertson, professor of law, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
- Sarah Fox, assistant professor of law, Northern Illinois University College of
Law
- Genevieve Byrne, staff attorney, Institute for Energy and the Environment, Vermont
Law School
4:15-4:55 p.m. - Featured Speaker
Home Rule and Drone Ordinances: Reviewing the intersection of drones and privacy
rights and how States and localities are more willing to address the issue than
the federal government.
Jennifer Brobst
Interim Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Law
Southern Illinois University School of Law
4:55-5:05 p.m. - Closing Remarks
Jesse Richardson, professor of law, WVU
