The events of Jan. 6, 2021, are seared into the collective memories of all who witnessed the images at the United States Capitol on that historic day.

A special program on that day, entitled “Before, During and After January 6, 2021,” will be presented July 23 at The Virginia Bar Association’s Summer Meeting at The Omni Homestead Resort. The program will explore the events that preceded the incursion, what actually happened on Jan. 6 and the consequences of this pivotal moment in American history.

The events leading up to passage of the Electoral Count Act of 1887, or ECA, will be discussed. Important aspects of the ECA and its application to the 2020 election will be debated, including whether the ECA is constitutional.

Among other thought-provoking questions that the panel will address is whether there could be a recurrence of the problems the nation experienced in connection with the 2024 presidential election.

The Hon. William C. Mims – former Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, former member of the Virginia General Assembly and former Attorney General of Virginia – will serve as moderator of the program, which will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

The panel will include:

Hon. J. Michael Luttig, a former judge of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, whose timely legal analysis served as a counterweight against other opinions in circulation that Vice President Mike Pence could unilaterally overturn the Trump-Biden election results. He has written extensively about the constitutionality of the ECA and of possible legislation related thereto.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., serves on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Committee on House Administration. He will offer his perspective on the events of Jan. 6 based upon his presence in the Capitol and as a member of several congressional committees that are addressing the aftermath of Jan. 6.

Timothy J. Heaphy, who serves as Chief Investigative Counsel to the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 incursion, will report on the committee’s work and findings.

Betsy Woodruff Swan is a national political reporter at Politico, and a contributor to MSNBC in Washington, D.C. She will add insight based upon her reporting of the Jan. 6 events in real-time, as well as her extensive reporting about the ongoing investigation and related issues.

Learn about the VBA Summer Meeting