On February 3-4, 2012, the Center for the Study of Constitutional Originalism at the University of San Diego Law School will hold its Third Annual Originalism Works-in-Progress Conference. The conference will include approximately 6 unpublished papers on originalism, with separate commentators, and then questions from the other participants at the conference.
This past February, the Center held the Second Annual Originalism Works-in-Progress Conference in San Diego. The conference featured an outstanding group of participants, including Vikram Amar (Davis), Will Baude (Robbins, Russell), Robert Bennett (Northwestern), Stanley Fish (Florida International), Heidi Hurd (Illinois), John Harrison (Virginia), Rick Kay (Connecticut), Earl Maltz (Rutgers), John McGinnis (Northwestern), Bernadette Meyler (Cornell), Michael Paulsen (St. Thomas), Sai Prakash (Virginia), Larry Solum (Illinois), and Stephen Vladeck (American). For information on the Second Conference, see here. For a videotape of the proceedings, see here. For Stanley Fish's discussion of the conference on his New York Times Blog, see here. For information on the First Conference, see here. For a videotape of the proceedings, see here.
We invite you to submit a work-in-progress for the Third Conference. A work in progress is a draft paper in article form that is not yet published as of the conference date. An originalism paper is defined broadly to be any paper that argues for or against originalism as a matter of theory, or applies originalism to some aspect of the Constitution.
Submissions should take the form of a one to three page abstract (and, if you like, an initial draft). The Originalism Center will select an appropriate range of papers to be presented at the conference. Submissions can be sent to us now, if possible, but in any event by the end of August. We will ask that the selected papers be circulated to conference participants in early January, 2012. The Center will cover travel expenses, lodging, and meals for paper authors and commentators.
In addition to paper authors and commentators, we would like to invite all scholars who do work on originalism to attend and participate in the conference by reading the papers and joining in the discussion. The Center would be happy to pay for the principal meals for those attending the whole conference but not giving a paper or serving as a commentator.
We hope you will be able to join us in San Diego. Also, feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you believe would be interested. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact any of us.
Michael Rappaport
Michael Ramsey
Steve Smith
Having attended the first two iterations of this conference, I would like to attest to both the excellence of the papers and discussion and to the superb organization.