Constitution

Of the Stanford Law School

Student Animal Legal Defense Fund

Article One. Name.

The name of this organization shall be the Stanford Law School Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (hereinafter referred to as the Stanford Law School SALDF).

Article Two. Purpose.

The Stanford Law School SALDF is dedicated to providing a forum for education, advocacy, and scholarship aimed at protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system, and raising the profile of animal law.

The Stanford Law School SALDF is dedicated to the goals of educating the law school and surrounding communities about forms of institutionalized animal abuse, and engaging in projects that combat that abuse. The Stanford Law School SALDF is equally dedicated to protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system. The activities of the Stanford Law School SALDF may include, but shall not be limited to: hosting speakers, debates, and conferences on current issues in animal rights law; carrying out research projects for lawyers and organizations involved in animal rights litigation; networking with students at other law schools, colleges, universities, and high schools who are pursuing interests in animal rights and environmental issues; networking with other Stanford Law School student groups on points of intersection between their causes and that of SALDF, including, but not limited to, social justice, environmentalism, and feminism; conducting educational events such as information tables and video screenings on pertinent issues; organizing an animal law reading group and lobbying the administration for the creation of an Animal Law course at Stanford Law School; contributing to the criminal defense and political support of those who have committed nonviolent illegal acts in defense of animals; and advocating on behalf of vegetarian and vegan students within our law school. Our SALDF chapter further recognizes and abides by the purposes and goals of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Article Three. Criteria for Membership.

Membership in the Stanford Law School SALDF shall be open to all, regardless of gender, race, creed, age, color, national origin, physical disability, sexual orientation, species, or diet. Individual membership in the Animal Legal Defense Fund is encouraged, but not required for all Stanford Law School SALDF members.

Article Four. Board of Directors.

With the explicit goal of avoiding organizational hierarchy, the Stanford Law School SALDF shall have a four-member board of directors, each with equal voice in the group's executive decisions. There shall be three chairs and one at-large board member.

Administrative Chair : The administrative chair shall be charged with carrying out all administrative business for SALDF, including, but not limited to: creating and implementing a budget, reserving rooms for meetings, maintaining an email list, organizing fundraising both within and without the law school, and any other relevant contact with the administration of Stanford Law School.

Events Chair : The events chair shall be charged with all duties related to events hosted, sponsored, or attended by SALDF, including, but not limited to: guest speakers, film screenings, conferences, debates, vegetarian potlucks, parties, and any other discrete, one-time "events." These duties shall include advertising, acquisition of necessary materials, and any other necessary accommodations and oversight.

Projects Chair : The projects chair shall be charged with all duties related to ongoing projects created by or participated in by SALDF, including, but not limited to: the animal law reading group, lobbying for an Animal Law course, any ongoing participation or contact with legal animal rights groups or lawyers, coordination of boycotts, community outreach programs, letter-writing campaigns, and animal liberationist prisoner support programs.

At-Large Board Member : The at-large board member shall be charged with all responsibilities not charged to the Chairs, including but not limited to: calling meetings of SALDF, taking the minutes of group meetings, interpreting this constitution in the event of conflicting readings, and coordinating any other logistical functions of the group.

Any of these board members may serve as the designated contact person responsible for communicating with the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Qualifications for persons who are eligible to serve as board members of the Stanford Law School SALDF are as follows:

• Registration as a student at Stanford Law School.

• Membership in the Stanford Law School SALDF.

• Attendance at a minimum of two meetings of the Stanford Law School SALDF.

• Agreement to uphold the goals and purposes of the Stanford Law School SALDF, and to comply with all bylaws, rules, regulations, and duly adopted policies of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Article 5. Elections.

The board of directors shall be elected each semester by a majority vote of the membership of the Stanford Law School SALDF, shall serve a term of one semester, and may be reelected indefinitely. In the event that no candidate attracts the requisite number of votes for election, a run-off shall be held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.

Students interested in serving on the board shall so inform SALDF no later than one week prior to the election.

Elections shall take place within the first two weeks of the semester.

Article Six. Meetings.

Regular meetings of the Stanford Law School SALDF shall be held at least once per month. Decisions at meetings shall be made by a majority of the members, with every present party agreeing to, dissenting to, or abstaining from every action there decided. A necessary quorum for all decisions shall be at least 51% of all members present at the meeting and must include at least one member of the board of directors.

Article Seven. Affiliation with the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Activities of the Stanford Law School SALDF shall at all times be consistent with the purposes of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (hereinafter "ALDF"). The Stanford Law School SALDF shall keep ALDF informed of all public policy positions taken in the name of the Stanford Law School SALDF. The Stanford Law School SALDF shall also copy ALDF on all documents and correspondence submitted on behalf of the Stanford Law School SALDF. The Stanford Law School SALDF will not purport to speak for ALDF or commit it to any position on any matter of public policy or law on behalf of ALDF without ALDF's prior written consent.

Article Eight. Restriction on the Use of Funds.

No Stanford Law School SALDF funds shall be spent in any manner that contributes to the abuse of animals. This includes, but is not limited to, the requirement that all food purchased for Stanford Law School SALDF functions be vegan.

Article Nine. Amendments.

Any two members shall be entitled to propose amendments. Proposed amendments shall be consistent with these by-laws, and shall be communicated to ALDF and the at-large board member, who shall schedule a meeting for the purpose of deciding on these amendments. A two-thirds majority of all votes, as well as at least one vote in favor of the amendment from a board member, shall be required for any changes to this constitution.

We hereby ratify this Constitution as the binding document for the Stanford Law School Student Animal Legal Defense Fund.

____________________________

Matthew Liebman

____________________________

Zachary Fabish

____________________________

Nicole Janisiewicz

____________________________

Peter Morgan

February 2, 2004.