Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What property rights, if any, does an FCC spectrum license confer? Long thought to be settled law, the question is raised anew by a takings case in the Federal Circuit pitting licensee Ligado against the Department of War. The Federal Circuit’s decision remanding the issue to the Court of Claims raises fundamental issues about the basket of rights that constitute a property interest, which of those rights attach to FCC spectrum licenses, and whether they are enforceable. In the balance is Ligado’s $40B takings claim against the government, but also the legal underpinnings of U.S. spectrum policy. Do FCC licenses protect value “spectrum real estate” or is our broadband economy built on a legal house of cards? Join our expert panelists for a discussion of these issues.
Featuring:
Hon. John Kneuer, President and Founder, JKC Consulting LLC
Ari Meltzer, Partner, Wiley Rein, LLP
(Moderator) Andrew Lock
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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.
What property rights, if any, does an FCC spectrum license confer? Long thought to be settled law, the question is raised anew by a takings case in the Federal Circuit pitting licensee Ligado against the Department of War. The Federal Circuit’s decision remanding the issue to the Court of Claims raises fundamental issues about the basket of rights that constitute a property interest, which of those rights attach to FCC spectrum licenses, and whether they are enforceable. In the balance is Ligado’s $40B takings claim against the government, but also the legal underpinnings of U.S. spectrum policy. Do FCC licenses protect value “spectrum real estate” or is our broadband economy built on a legal house of cards? Join our expert panelists for a discussion of these issues.
Featuring:
Hon. John Kneuer, President and Founder, JKC Consulting LLC
Ari Meltzer, Partner, Wiley Rein, LLP
(Moderator) Andrew Lock
* * * * *
As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.
![[LIVE] The National Popular Vote Compact: An End Run Around the Electoral College?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VfUVKZVtomM/mqdefault.jpg "[LIVE] The National Popular Vote Compact: An End Run Around the Electoral College?
This spring, Virginia joined eighteen other states and DC in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement among participating jurisdictions to award their presidential electors to the winner of the national popular vote once they collectively hold 270 electoral votes. Virginias thirteen electoral votes bring the compact to 222, leaving it 48 short of the threshold at which it would take effect.
Is participation in the compact a legitimate exercise of state power under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, or does it require congressional consent under the Compact Clause or even a constitutional amendment under Article V? Join us for a discussion of Virginia’s entry, the constitutional arguments on both sides, and what the compact could mean for the future of the Electoral College.
Featuring:
• Chad Ennis, Vice President, Honest Elections Project
• Michael Williams, Solicitor General, West Virginia
• [Moderator] Hon. Allen J. Dickerson, Partner, BakerHostetler; Former Chairman, Federal Election Commission
Register for the live webinar at https://fedsoc.org/events/the-national-popular-vote-compact-an-end-run-around-the-electoral-college
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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.")
