PLEASE NOTE - THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
The rescheduled event will take place in fall 2020, and additional details will be shared as they become available.
Symposium on the 40th Anniversary of Democracy and Distrust
On March 11, 2020, the University of Illinois College of Law will host a symposium to mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of John Hart Ely's influential book, Democracy and Distrust: A Theory of Judicial Review. The symposium will bring together some of the most prominent constitutional law scholars in the country to reflect on Ely's book and its ongoing significance. 2020 is a particularly appropriate year to discuss Ely given the pendency of a presidential election in which not just the membership of the Supreme Court but its size and composition – and the continuing vitality of judicial review -- are up for grabs. Symposium participants will include Illinois Dean Vikram Amar, Professor Jason Mazzone (Illinois), Akhil Reed Amar (Yale), Steven Calabresi (Northwestern), Evan Caminker (Michigan), Melissa Murray (NYU), Daniel Rodriguez (Northwestern), and Jane Schacter (Stanford). Papers from the symposium will be published in Constitutional Commentary.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend a separate, related event during the noon hour, where lunch will be provided to attendees:
A Conversation with Akhil Reed Amar
Amar, one of nation's preeminent scholars of the U.S. Constitution, will preview his newest book on the founding era and its lessons for today.
View the Schedule of Events.
