Daniel Schuman of the American Constitution Society [LexBlog Q & A]
The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy is a non-profit group that seeks to educate on Constitutional issues and their place in American law. One tool they use to spread that message is their ACSBlog, one of LexBlog’s oldest – and most heavily trafficked – blogs.
The man behind ACSBlog is Daniel Schuman, our guest for today’s LexBlog Q & A. Daniel, a 2006 graduate of Emory Law School, took over from Ian Millhiser as editor of the blog in the middle of last year.
1. Rob La Gatta: You joined the American Constitution Society as Assistant Director for Communications this past July. When you took over as blog editor, were there fairly strict guidelines in place as to how the blog should operate? Or were you given editorial controls to do with it what you please?
Daniel Schuman: When I started with ACS, I was fortunate to work with the blog’s first editor, Ian Millhiser, who explained the blog’s operation. ACS does not take positions on issues, and what we write reflects that neutrality, while still providing a variety of opinions. When we have guest authors, we make it clear that the article reflects the author’s opinions, and we try to have guest bloggers with opinions that span the entire spectrum.
Beyond the neutrality requirement, I have had a free hand to experiment with the blog’s format. We have added regular previews for upcoming Supreme Court cases, round-ups of the week’s blog posts, YouTube videos from ACS events, summaries of reports and cases, and whatever else gives a sense of what is happening in the legal community.
2. Rob La Gatta: One of the things that attracts lawyers to the blogosphere is the power blogging has to create a strong network of friends who may never have even met each other in person. Has the American Constitution Society had similar results? Do you find yourselves entering into discussions with folks you wouldn’t have otherwise been in contact with?
Daniel Schuman: ACS has over 160 student chapters and nearly 30 lawyer chapters, so the formal organizational network alone is formidable. It is nearly impossible to travel to any part of the country without bumping into someone from ACS. I interact with a small segment of our formal and informal networks, through conversations about important legal issues and requests for experts to share their stories with our readers.
Because the blog provides analysis from across the progressive spectrum, I have the privilege of regularly discussing major legal issues with top practitioners. In addition, readers will often reach out to us with ideas and suggestions for articles. Writing the blog also gives me the excuse to write to other bloggers whose sites I enjoy.
3. Rob La Gatta: I’ve noticed that quite frequently, you feature guest posts authored by various legal specialists from around the country. What is the process that goes into securing guest bloggers (namely the planning & execution)? Do these folks come to you, or are you out actively soliciting for new voices?
Daniel Schuman: We actively search for new voices and welcome unsolicited contributions. The news cycle helps us determine what subjects we tackle and who we ask to write about them. It is a fair amount of work to secure a guest blog post, particularly in identifying someone who is knowledgeable and willing to write. Fortunately, ACS has many prominent members and supporters who are experts in a wide variety of fields and are also generous with their time.
4. Rob La Gatta: It seems like focusing on Constitutional issues opens a floodgate of potential material; way too much to cover it all. Who writes the non-guest blogger content for ACS Blog, and how do they decide what gets covered each day?
Daniel Schuman: I write most of the non-guest blogger content for ACS. The organization focuses on a number of discrete issue areas, and we keep an eye out for stories related to those areas. Even so, there is far more material than we can possibly cover, so judgment calls are necessary.
5. Rob La Gatta: When it started blogging, The American Constitution Society was taking a gamble by investing in a blog (still at that time a new medium). Do you think that in the next few years, more legal organizations will realize the potential benefits of entering the blogosphere?
Daniel Schuman: The technological side of running a blog isn’t that complex anymore, although it is becoming more difficult to build a significant readership. More and more organizations are jumping into the arena. They have realized that, as long as they have something interesting to say, this is a cost-effective way of sharing the information.
According to Justia, there are over 2,300 law blogs. However, the biggest challenge and a sign of an organization’s dedication to the exploration of ideas in a public forum is the ability to commit to sustaining a blog over a number of years.
ACS serves as a clearinghouse for ideas, which gives us a fairly unique role both in a policy and blogging context. Depending on the type of legal organization producing the blog, the experience is likely to be very different. Some organizations prefer not to wear their opinions on their sleeves; others have strong advocacy roles and proudly and easily pronounce them; still others have more subtle positions for which blogs are not the best medium.
As time goes on, some organizations will experiment successfully and maintain a frequent and active presence in the blogosphere, while others determine that their attention is better focused elsewhere.
Interested in hearing more? Recent LexBlog Q & A posts:
- Tim Titolo [1.24.08]
- Eugene Volokh [1.23.08]
- Dan Clement [1.22.08]
- Eric Goldman [1.17.08]
- Tom Kane [1.16.08]
Or, see our full list of legal blog interviews.