Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Reports on IPPF Champion
On May 5, 2022, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported on a team from Pine-Richland High School in Pennsylvania winning the 21st annual International Public Policy Forum debate competition, sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University.
The Pine-Richland team won a $10,000 grand prize. Pine-Richland’s team is coached by high school teacher Jeff Byko and the team members are Miles Brown, Callie Stoltz, Andrew Ni, Amish Sethi, Tadg Manna and Matthew Farmar.
“After working nine months together in a deep dive on the world economy, we are ecstatic to see our hard work pay off on the international stage,” Sethi said. “While it certainly took a lot of work, the memories we have made along the way are unforgettable.”
The topic for this year’s competition was: “Resolved: On balance, the hegemony of the United States dollar is detrimental to the world economy.”
The team’s coach emphasized the students debaters’ hard work on the topic.
“This championship is such a tremendous accomplishment for these six students,” Byko said. “From writing their cases in the beginning to the eventual oral debates, they consistently worked not only to understand their topic — U.S. dollar hegemony isn’t on the top of most people’s interest lists — but to master it. Their results showed they mastered it better than everyone else,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier for them and more proud of them.”
IPPF founder William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, praised the IPPF champion team.
“These student debaters impressed the judges with their strong advocacy skills — ultimately winning the title of IPPF World Champion,” Brewer said. “Over the course of seven months, the students demonstrated superior written scholarship and oral advocacy skills in a rigorous test of their academic abilities,” Brewer said. “The results achieved here suggest the promise of bright futures. Congratulations to the team for excelling in a debate involving a complicated public policy issue.”
To read more, click here.
Spectrum News 1 Reports on Brewer Storefront Voting Rights Case
On April 30, 2022, Spectrum News 1 reported on a voting rights lawsuit brought on behalf of plaintiff Paige Dixon by Brewer Storefront challenging Lewisville ISD’s system of electing trustees. The lawsuit argues that the election system violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and denies equal representation to people of color.
William Brewer, Dixon’s attorney, said that many Texas school districts are diverse but that is not reflected on school boards because of at-large voting systems used to elect trustees. “That means that if you have a voting [bloc] that is involved, turns out at the ballot box, that group can control the election of all seven seats,” he said.
Brewer said that similar lawsuits will continue to come up as the state grows and more school districts with at-large election systems have gaps in representation.
Dixon lives in Lewisville and ran for the Lewisville ISD school board last year and lost.
To read more, click here.
Pine-Richland High School Students Crowned Champion of International Public Policy Forum Debate Contest
April 30, 2022 – New York – A team of students from Pine-Richland High School of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, bested a field of high schools from around the globe Saturday, winning the 21st Annual Brewer Foundation/New York University International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) debate competition and a $10,000 grand prize. The final debate was held at The Harold Pratt House in New York City.
The teams that competed in the IPPF Finals on Saturday, April 30, were the final “Elite Eight” teams to emerge from a field of more than 120 teams. The teams debated the topic: “Resolved: On balance, the hegemony of the United States dollar is detrimental to the world economy."
As the new IPPF World Champion, the Pine-Richland team receives a $10,000 grand prize ($5,000 for the school’s debate program and $5,000 in individual scholarships). The team was coached by Jeff Byko, and the team members were Miles Brown, Callie Stoltz, Andrew Ni, Amish Sethi, Tadg Manna and Matthew Farmar.
"These student debaters impressed the judges with their strong advocacy skills – ultimately winning the title of IPPF World Champion," said William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and cofounder of the IPPF. "Over the course of seven months, the students demonstrated superior written scholarship and oral advocacy skills in a rigorous test of their academic abilities. The results achieved here suggest the promise of bright futures.”
Brewer added: “Congratulations to the team for excelling in a debate involving a complicated public policy issue: the role of the United States dollar in the world economy.”
In New York, Pine-Richland advanced over the Ministry of Education, Singapore, in the quarterfinal round and Amity Regional High School from Woodbridge, Connecticut, in the semifinal round, before facing Potomac Oak from Rockville, Maryland, in the finals.
The runner-up team, Potomac Oak, receives a $3,500 prize. Coached by Elisa Chen Sukhobok and Alex Jiang, the team members were Kaden Chien, Evelyn Shue, and Jonathan Wen.
The top eight teams competing in the IPPF Finals represented schools in five U.S. states, Canada and Singapore. The team from Singapore competed virtually – making this the IPPF’s first hybrid debate final.
The IPPF Finals give students the opportunity to participate in oral debates in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in debate, business, law and politics. The proceedings were judged by a panel comprised of Brewer, NYU President Emeritus John Sexton, NYU Stern School of Business Dean Raghu Sundaram, Above the Law Senior Editor Kathryn Rubino, and Miha Andric, an international debate coach and communication teacher based in Slovenia.
“This partnership between NYU and the Brewer Foundation celebrates a unique expression of debate – involving months of written scholarship, oral advocacy, and the chance to compete on a global stage,” Sexton said. “As a member of the IPPF judging panel, I have enormous confidence in these students – and the power they have to positively impact the world around them. They are destined for great things.”
Founded in 2001, the IPPF is the only competition that gives high school students from around the globe the opportunity – for free – to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.
The 2021-22 competition began in October, as teams submitted qualifying round essays on the IPPF topic. Judges selected the “Round of 64” teams, who then participated in a single-elimination, written debate contest ― volleying essays back and forth via e-mail. From November to March, the field was narrowed from 64 teams to 32, then 16, and finally to the eight teams that competed in oral debates at the IPPF Finals in New York.
In New York, the quarterfinalists were Bergen County Debate Club from Fort Lee, New Jersey; The Davidson Academy of Nevada from Reno, Nevada; Ministry of Education, Singapore; and North Allegheny Senior High School from Wexford, Pennsylvania. Quarterfinalists each win $750.
The semifinalist teams — Amity Regional High School from Woodbridge, Connecticut, and Extraordinary Education Centre from Toronto, ON, Canada — each win $1,500.
About the IPPF and the Brewer Foundation:
The IPPF was founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation and is now jointly administered with New York University. The program is available to all high schools around the world – public and private – for free. The IPPF is endorsed by leading forensic agencies, such as the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, the International Debate Education Association, the Impact Coalition, Associated Leaders of Urban Debate Leagues, and the National Debate Coaches Association.
The Brewer Foundation is a private, non-profit organization funded by companies, individuals and the national litigation firm of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. With offices in New York and Dallas, the Foundation has achieved widespread recognition for its efforts to create, fund and manage a variety of educational outreach programs.
Visit the IPPF at www.ippfdebate.com, www.facebook.com/ippfdebate, or on Twitter and Instagram at @IPPF1.
Live From New York: The IPPF Finals on Saturday, April 30
For seven months, debate teams from around the globe have exchanged written debates in the 21st Annual Brewer Foundation / New York University International Public Policy Forum (IPPF). Now, the final eight teams are preparing to meet face to face in New York City, where they will compete in a series of oral debates in hopes of taking home the $10,000 grand prize and being named the "IPPF World Champion."
You are invited to watch all the action – live.
On Saturday, April 30, we invite you to log on to www.facebook.com/IPPFdebate and watch the IPPF semifinals and final debate LIVE from The Harold Pratt House in New York City. The debates will take place at 10:10 a.m., 11:40 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. EST, as the students debate the topic, "Resolved: On balance, the hegemony of the United States dollar is detrimental to the world economy."
The top eight teams competing in the IPPF Finals represent schools in five U.S. states, Canada and Singapore. The team from Singapore will compete virtually – making this the IPPF’s first hybrid debate final. The Elite Eight teams include:
Amity Regional High School (Woodbridge, Connecticut)
Bergen County Debate Club (Fort Lee, New Jersey)
The Davidson Academy of Nevada (Reno, Nevada)
Extraordinary Education Centre (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Ministry of Education (Singapore)
North Allegheny Senior High School (Wexford, Pennsylvania)
Pine-Richland High School (Gibsonia, Pennsylvania)
Potomac Oak (Rockville, Maryland)
Meet the Experts: All-Star Judging Panel
The IPPF Finals give students the opportunity to debate in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in education, business, law and politics. This year's proceedings will be judged by William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and founder of the IPPF, NYU President Emeritus John Sexton, NYU Stern School of Business Dean Raghu Sundaram, Above the Law Senior Editor Kathryn Rubino, and Miha Andric, an international debate coach and communication teacher based in Slovenia.
Founded in 2001, the IPPF is the first and only contest that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. The 2021-22 competition began in October, as teams submitted qualifying round essays on the IPPF topic. Judges selected the top 64 teams, who then participated in a single-elimination, written debate contest ― volleying essays back and forth via e-mail. From November to March, the field was narrowed from 64 teams to 32, then 16, and finally to the eight teams that will compete in oral debates at the IPPF Finals in New York.
A Bite of the Big Apple: Dallas Students Visit New York
This year, the IPPF debates will be watched in-person by some special guests: students from the Brewer Foundation Future Leaders Program (FLP), who are traveling to New York from Dallas, Texas. Founded in 2001, the FLP provides academic resources and leadership training to deserving students from the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). FLP classes are offered after school on the campuses of the program’s private school partners – The Hockaday School, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Greenhill School, and Episcopal School of Dallas. This public-private partnership is the only one of its kind in Texas.
While in New York, the “Future Leaders” will take a tour of the NYU campus, led by a member of the NYU policy debate team.
To learn more about the IPPF, visit www.ippfdebate.com.
To learn more about the FLP, visit www.futureleadersprogram.org.
The Dallas Morning News, Other Media, Report on Brewer Storefront Voting Rights Case
On April 12, 2022, The Dallas Morning News and other local media reported on the Brewer Storefront lawsuit alleging that the at-large election system used to elect Lewisville ISD trustees violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because it denies fair representation to voters of color.
The Dallas Morning News published an article on the filing on the front page of the Metro & Business section of the newspaper on April 13. The Morning News reported that plaintiff Paige Dixon, who is African American and ran for the LISD school board, filed the suit.
The article quoted the lawsuit: “Ms. Dixon believes that the change from the at-large voting system to either a single-member districts or a cumulative voting system will empower people of color to run for Trustee positions, inspire greater electoral participation, and lead to a more equitable system of representation.”
Community Impact also reported on the filing, and quoted William Brewer speaking about the case.
“Our client represents a large number who believe the at-large election system used by Lewisville ISD illegally denies citizens of color a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choosing—trustees that represent their interests, schools and communities,” Brewer said. “Clearly, the school board should adopt an electoral process, which allows minority voters and community members to fairly participate in this vibrant, multiracial school district.”
NBC DFW also published a report on the filing.
Brewer Storefront News Release: Lawsuit Claims Lewisville ISD Electoral System Violates Voting Rights Act of 1965
Dallas, Texas…April 12, 2022 – Brewer Storefront filed suit in federal court on behalf of plaintiff Paige Dixon against the Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) and its trustees, alleging that the school district’s election system violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because it denies fair representation to voters of color.
Filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division, the lawsuit claims that the school district’s at-large voting system denies Hispanic, African American and Asian voters a fair opportunity to elect school board representatives of their choice. The Storefront is the community service legal affiliate of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors.
The lawsuit alleges that, based on the district’s demographics, one would expect that a Latino, African American or Asian school board member could be elected. Yet, all seven school board members, as they have been for years, are white.
“Our client represents a large number who believe the at-large election system used by Lewisville ISD illegally denies citizens of color a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choosing – trustees that represent their interests, schools and communities,” says William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer Storefront and lead counsel for plaintiff Paige Dixon. “Clearly, the school board should adopt an electoral process which allows minority voters and community members to fairly participate in this vibrant, multiracial school district.”
LISD is a richly diverse school district. As of the 2020-21 school year, the student population was 37.6% white, 30.5% Hispanic, 15.5% Asian, and 11.6% African American, and 4.4% Two or More Races.
However, in addition to the all-white seven-member school board, LISD’s 16-member administrative “District Leadership Team” (including the interim superintendent) has only one person of color serving on it, a team comprised of 15 white members and one African American woman, and no Hispanic or Asian administrators.
Under the current electoral system, school board members are elected at large. Candidates run for “places” but do not represent any specific geographic area. The lawsuit claims the at-large system rewards white voters for voting as a bloc and denies political opportunity to non-white voters.
The lawsuit refers to LISD’s at-large election system and the importance of school board trustees and states that, “Unfortunately, when the electoral process by which officials are chosen ‘stacks the deck’ against people of color such bodies cease to be ‘representative.’”
The lawsuit alleges that, “The at-large system discourages minority-preferred candidates from seeking office because it effectively functions as a white-controlled referendum on all candidates where white voters control all seven Trustee positions.”
According to the lawsuit, the numbers of Hispanic, African American and Asian voters are sufficiently large and geographically compact such that at least one single-member electoral district could be created in which voters of color are a majority.
The lawsuit describes the significant “achievement gap” which exists between the lowest performing elementary schools in the district that are majority minority in enrollment and higher achieving schools situated in the neighborhoods in which the all-white members of the LISD board of trustees reside.
Dixon, who is African American, is an active member of her community, a U.S. Army combat veteran, and a mother of two children who have attended LISD schools. She previously served as PTA President at Rockbrook Elementary School in Lewisville ISD from 2017 to 2021. She ran for Place 1 on the LISD school board in May 2021 and lost.
Ms. Dixon’s community involvement is extensive; in addition to her work as PTA President, she has been a member of the LISD Academic Calendar and Superintendent Parental Advisory committees; she chaired the LISD Council of the PTA’s Advocacy Committee; served as a volunteer coordinator of the LISD High School Band Booster Club; volunteered for Denton County Meals on Wheels; and is a member of the Concerned Citizens & African-American Parents (CCAAP).
Brewer Storefront previously brought a voting rights lawsuit against LISD in 2019 on behalf of plaintiff Frank Vaughan. The Court concluded that Mr. Vaughan, who is white, did not meet the definition of an “aggrieved person” under the VRA because his right to vote was not infringed “on account of his race.”
The Storefront has successfully challenged violations of the Voting Rights Act on behalf of other communities of interest in previous actions.
The Storefront successfully resolved Voting Rights Act cases with the Richardson Independent School District in January 2019, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in 2015, and the Grand Prairie Independent School District in 2014. All districts now utilize remodeled voting systems. The Storefront also secured trial victories in Voting Rights Act cases against the Irving Independent School District in 2014, the City of Farmers Branch in 2012, and the City of Irving in 2009. Those lawsuits paved the way for the formation of new voting systems and the election of minority candidates.
Local Media in Pennsylvania and Georgia Report on Brewer Foundation / NYU Debate Competition
March 8, 2022 – Local media in Pennsylvania and Georgia reported on high school teams advancing to the “Sweet 16” round in the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), a global debate competition sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University.
The Pine Creek Journal reported on a team of students from Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, advancing in the IPPF, the first and only contest giving high school students from around the world an opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. The Journal reported that seniors Miles Brown, Matthew Farmar, Tadg Manna, Andrew Ni, Amish Sethi and Callie Stoltz make up the 2021-22 Pine-Richland High School team, coached by teacher Jeff Byko. To read more, click here.
Patch.com reported on Ivy Bridge Academy in Johns Creek, Georgia, advancing in the IPPF.
"These students analyzed and debated the role of the United States dollar in the world economy," said William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and a founder of the IPPF, Patch.com reported. "The 16 teams that remain will compete in another written round of debates – in hopes of advancing to the IPPF Finals in New York City."
The Ivy Bridge Academy team consists of the following students: Aalif Biswas, Aiden Kim, Akshaya Poonepalle, Alex Ko, Ethan Nam, Gene Yoon, Hailey Shon, Hanming Sun, Srihansika Hansi Thadiparthi, Irene Tang, Jason Eappen, Lynden Baek, Nayan Revankar, Nina Thakur, Noah Yoon, Omer Mujawar, Prakhar Gupta, Rikhil Ranjit, and Yugeshwar Muralishar. To read more, click here.
New York Law Journal, Others Report on NRA Victory
On March 4, 2022, a front-page article in the New York Law Journal, “Manhattan Judge Rejects NY AG’s Effort to Dissolve National Rifle Association,” reported that a ruling by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joel Cohen dismissed New York Attorney General Letitia James’ effort to dissolve the organization.
The report noted that Cohen found that dissolving the NRA “could impinge, at least indirectly, on the free speech and assembly rights of millions of members” of the NRA.
The report added that NRA lead attorney William Brewer applauded the ruling, stating that, “This is a victory not only for the NRA, but all who believe in the right to free speech and association.”
The article follows positive reports from many news organizations, including the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and the Daily Caller, among others. To read more in the NYLJ, click here.