About Us
The Lincoln Douglas Society Cornell Chapter is a student led debate union that creates a formal space for good faith discussion of the most difficult questions in law and public life. We take inspiration from our sister chapter at the University of South Carolina, which was founded to respond to the erosion of civil debate in higher education and in the broader culture. Our goal is to model the kind of principled disagreement that future lawyers must practice in courtrooms, boardrooms, and public institutions.
Each semester we host structured debates on pressing and often controversial legal issues, invite students and professors to present competing views, and ask the audience to listen carefully, vote, and reflect on whether their thinking has changed. Speakers are treated with respect, events are conducted with a high level of professionalism, and conversations continue at informal receptions after the debate. In this way, the Society serves as a living lesson in how to argue vigorously, listen seriously, and remain collegial even when we strongly disagree.
