In light of the Berkeley College Republicans’ bake sale controversy, Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent veto of SB 185 and the subsequent emergence of widespread discussion on the UC Berkeley campus of affirmative action, a panel of five speakers discussed the legal implications of affirmative action in education Wednesday night.

The event, which was organized by the Legal Forum Committee of Phi Alpha Delta, a UC Berkeley pre-law fraternity, drew up to 60 audience members on the seventh floor of Eshleman Hall. Each panelist was given 10 to 15 minutes to speak and the audience was invited to asked questions at the end. Some of the topics discussed were the legality of affirmative action, SB 185 and Proposition 209, the Berkeley College Republicans’ “Increase Diversity Bake Sale” and the role of race of socioeconomic status in college admissions.

The panelists included Hans Sluga, a UC Berkeley professor of philosophy; Diane Schachterle, director of policy and planning at the American Civil Rights Institute, a non-profit organization that aims to educate the public about the harms of race preferences; Joey Freeman, ASUC External Affairs Vice President; Shawn Lewis, president of the Berkeley College Republicans and Gibor Basri, UC Berkeley’s Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion.

Update to follow.