Levin Center Internship Information Session - Washington, D.C. Program 2025
2024-11-26 12:15 - 17:00 (America/Detroit)
Do you want to work in Washington, D.C. for the summer as a legal clerk on a congressional oversight committee? Join our information session for the Levin Center Legal Summer Internship program.
To find out more about the program, visit our internship website!
Lunch and coffee will be provided at the information session and you can speak with previous interns about their experiences!

How Courts are Shaping Congress' Power to Investigate 2025
2025-01-14 15:00 - 18:30 | K&L Gates DC Office Conference Room 1A – First Floor 1601 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006, DC
How Courts are Shaping Congress’ Power to Investigate 2025
Please Join Us!
On Tuesday, 14 January 2025, the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, in collaboration with K&L Gates, is hosting a panel of legal experts analyzing how recent federal court decisions are shaping the ability of Congress to investigate issues and obtain information.
The panel will delve into emerging caselaw from 2023 to 2024, examining the impact of Supreme Court decisions on presidential immunity and rulemaking, contempt of Congress charges targeting subpoena recipients, prosecutors facing congressional oversight, and new decisions on executive privilege, third party subpoenas, and the scope of the Speech and Debate Clause.
Panelists include:

Reginald Brown, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
Rachel Cotton, Deputy Counsel to the President; former White House Office of Science and Technology Policy General Counsel; former Zuckerman Spaeder Partner
Andy Grewal, Professor, University of Iowa Law School
Andrew Wright, Partner, Public Policy & Law, K&L Gates
Moderator: Elise Bean, Director, Levin Center Washington Office

You are invited to view the panel discussion online or in-person at the K&L Gates law firm.
RSVP | K&L Gates
Reception to Celebrate the Levin Center’s 10th Year
Following the panel, attendees are invited to a reception to celebrate the Levin Center’s tenth year of championing bipartisan, fact-based oversight by Congress and state legislatures across the country.
This reception is designed to comply with the House and Senate gift rules. For executive agency employees who wish to attend, please consult with your authorized ethics advisor regarding your ethical obligations.

Weekly Student Coffee Hour
2025-02-11 12:00 - 13:30 | Levin Center Offices, 471 W Palmer St, 2nd floor, Detroit, MI, 48202, United States
Drop by the Levin Center every Tuesday in the lunch hour for free coffee and tea. While you’re there – have a chat with us about our many student opportunities from internships in Washington, D.C., to Research Assistant positions at the Levin Center.

Levin Center 10-year Charter Celebration
2025-03-05 12:15 - 13:30 | Wayne State Law School, 471 W Palmer St, Detroit, MI, 48202, United States
On Wednesday, March 5 (12:15 pm – 1:30 pm), the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne Law will hold an open house and buffet lunch to celebrate the signing of the Levin Center’s Charter 10 years ago in March of 2015. Following the lunch, a welcome address and comments will be made to the attendees by Provost Laurie Lauzon Clabo, Dean Rick Bierschbach, and Levin Center Director Jim Townsend. Join us to celebrate the Center’s 10th anniversary!
RSVP HERE

SOA Symposium 2025, "Legislators and Academics in Collaboration​"
2025-06-26 11:00 - 16:00 | Webinar
For current details, please check the symposium’s website

Title: Legislators and Academics in Collaboration
Date: June 26, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Saving Time)
Virtual / Zoom Webinar

Join us for the third State Oversight Academy Symposium on June 26, 2025! As at our previous symposia, we will bring together legislators and academics to discuss new research developments into legislative oversight on the state level and how research can create meaningful insights for oversight practitioners. But that’s not all! Our expanded program will see the recognition of our 2025 Oversight Leaders and a roundtable discussion between academics and legislators. Register now and join us in June!
— Register —

Draft Agenda

Welcome
Keynote speakers: Assemblymember David Orentlicher (NV) and Megan Rickman Blackwood (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Working paper presentations and reviews
People-centered oversight and casework panel
Lunch break
Oversight Leaders presentation
Roundtable

Are you a scholar?
Submit your working paper! Each accepted working paper will be assigned to an oversight practitioner for review, feedback, and discussion during the symposium. We give preference to working papers focused on state legislative oversight, but will consider congressional papers, too. You can view paper discussions from our 2024 symposium here. — Submit Paper

Do you want to nominate someone for the Oversight Leader designation?
If you would like to recognize a state legislators, legislative staffer, committee, elected state official, or appointed state officials for their outstanding oversight work, please consider nominating them for our 2025 Oversight Leader designation. Nominations will be selected on May 1, 2025, and SOA Oversight Leaders will be invited to participate in the symposium roundtable discussion. — Oversight Leaders

2024/25 Levin Center Oversight Fellows Presentation
2025-08-19 12:15 - 13:30 | Zoom Webinar
Join us for a seminar featuring the 2024/25 Levin Center Oversight Fellows, Jason Juffras (Senior Analyst, Office of D.C. Audit) and Dr. Connor Dye (Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Texas at San Antonio), as they present their fellowship research exploring the evolving role of legislative oversight in democratic governance.
The Levin Center Oversight Fellowship Program, launched in 2021, supports scholars examining how legislatures—at both the state and federal levels—hold the executive branch accountable and improve government performance. This year’s fellows bring new perspectives on oversight as both a reactive and proactive tool.
Jason’s research investigates how state legislative oversight functions as an integrated system. Through case studies in three policy areas across six states, his project analyzes the coordinated work of oversight committees, audit offices, and other analytic institutions to develop a comprehensive picture of legislative oversight capacity and practice.
Connor’s work explores the proactive use of oversight by legislative committees to shape how agencies respond to emerging and complex problems. His research examines the motivations behind proactive oversight, how legislative and bureaucratic actors interact during the process, and how this dynamic influences public policy outcomes.
This seminar offers a unique opportunity to engage with original research at the intersection of legislative studies, public administration, and democratic accountability!
RSVP HERE

Weekly Student Coffee Hour - Fall Semester 2025
2025-08-26 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-09-02 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-09-09 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-09-16 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-09-23 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-09-30 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-10-07 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-10-14 12:00 - 13:30 and 7 more dates | Law School Building, 2nd Floor, Carl Levin Center, Detroit, 48202, United States
Join the Levin Center for free coffee and tea! Held every Tuesday during term time, our Student Coffee Hour is a great opportunity to find out more about the Levin Center and our student programming. Drop by, grab a coffee, and don’t forget to say hi!

Levin Center Student Open House
2025-09-16 12:15 - 13:30 | Law School Building, 2nd Floor, Carl Levin Center, Detroit, 48202, United States
Join us for lunch on September 16 during the Levin Center’s Student Open House. The Levin Center provides many opportunities for Wayne Law students from internships in Washington, D.C., to Research Assistantships and career panels. Come find out more over lunch and coffee!

2025 Levin Center Award for Excellence in Oversight Research
2025-10-30 12:15 - 13:30 | Zoom Webinar
We are pleased to announce that Claire Leavitt, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College, is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for her paper “I’ll be the Oversight”: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era. Selected from a competitive pool by a committee of oversight scholars and practitioners, Professor Leavitt’s work analyzes congressional hearings and reports from the second Obama and first Trump administrations, offering new insights into oversight priorities, executive cooperation, and the evolving balance of power between Congress and the executive branch.
Professor Leavitt will present and discuss her award-winning paper on October 30, 2025 from 12:15 – 1:30 PM (Eastern). Join us then!

Please register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Uyj6gU-2Q4qMjCjGCcHdow

Levin Center Summer Internship Information Session
2025-11-18 12:15 - 13:15 | Law School Building, 2nd floor R: 2261
Want to spend the summer working in Congress? Apply for the Levin Center Summer Internship program! You will spend 10-12 weeks working on oversight investigations in a congressional committee under the supervision of a senior attorney.
Want to find out more? Join the Info Session!
RSVP HERE

Weekly Student Coffee Hour – Spring Semester 2026
2026-01-13 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-01-20 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-01-27 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-02-03 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-02-10 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-02-17 12:00 - 13:30 | Law School Building, 2nd Floor, Carl Levin Center, Detroit, 48202, United States
