Sen. Birch Bayh to speak Thursday at IU

Former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, an IU Law School alumnus, will be speaking Thursday at IU.

Bayh, father of Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., will speak from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. about the separation of church and state in the Moot Court Room at the IU School of Law.

John Schlafer, law student and president of the IU chapter of the American Constitution Society, said the group expects a full house.

Schlafer said he hopes people will benefit from Bayh’s accumulation of knowledge and learn something from him, whom he called a scholar. He also hopes the speech will open up dialogue between students.

Schlafer said Bayh is an unsung hero of the civil rights era. His name does not often come to mind when people think of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, but he created several pieces of legislation that ensure rights for all, Schlafer said.

Bayh, who served in Congress from 1962 to 1980, also had a hand in creating the 25th Amendment, which formally created successors to the president, and the 26th Amendment, which made the voting age 18.

He’s written more of the Constitution than anyone, Schlafer said, except for the Founding Fathers. He said it’s a great chance, as a law student, to hear from someone in the trenches.

Bayh will also attend some classes on voting rights and separation of powers.
Schlafer hopes Bayh will be able to provide a practical leadership side to students in those classes.

“In law school we study the theoretical side, and I think Sen. Bayh can bring a practical side to the discussion,” Schlafer said.