Federalist Society Convention Opens With Quips Rather Than Worry

Fifth Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham kicked off the Federalist Society’s annual gathering by asking, “Oh my gosh, how excited are we about last week’s blowout victory?”

After people in the audience clapped, he delivered his punchline: he was referring to the University of Texas Longhorns’ victory against the Florida Gators.

The meeting, held at the Washington Hilton, comes a week after President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection — and amid questions about how much influence the Federalist Society’s traditional conservatives will have in the new administration.

The theme of this year’s national lawyers convention is “Group Identity and the Law” and Jonathan ...