My name is Jim Schueller and I'm the Symposium Editor of the Law School Journal of Legislation and every two years we organize a symposium to discuss relevant issue of public policy and the topic this year is States Rights in the 21st Century.

Well, way back in the 18th century when the framers drafted the Constitution they created a unique system of governing where power was shared between the states which already existed and the newly created federal government. The framers in their day debated the proper allocation of power between these two governments and today, two hundred eleven years later, we do the same thing. This is an issue that will be with us as long as we as a nation exist and really goes to the core of what it means to be the United States.

The format today will be a moderated panel discussion where each panelist will be given about 10-15 minutes to present their views, a few minutes to respond to each others comments, and then we'll open up to the audience questions. We're very lucky to have a distinguished panel with us today. And to introduce our first speaker, I turn the mike over to today's moderator and my first-year Contracts professor, Jay Tidmarsh.