Pam Lichty, the president of the ACLU of Hawaii, said Monday that the board had voted against a proposal to invite Thomas to debate national ACLU President Nadine Strossen about affirmative action at the Davis-Levin First Amendment conference. The purpose of the conference, according to founder Robert Rees, "is to offer pitched debates on constitutional issues." The idea for Thomas to participate was first discussed by ACLU members after Justice Antonin Scalia had participated in an earlier conference.