The Federalist Society

Optional Login

Have an account?

Sign in

Email

Password


Forgot password?

Proceed as Guest

Continue
Federalist Society logo

2004 National Student Symposium

Private Law: The New Frontier for Limited Government

February 20 — 21, 2004

Private law is defined by Black's Law as "The portion of law which defines, regulates, enforces, and administers relationships among individuals, associations, and corporations."

A central thrust of the debate pertaining to private law concerns the appropriation of private law, in one form or another, to assume a role in the regulation of society for which government intervention was sought in decades past. This general phenomenon takes many guises and has many different nuances, which form the focus for symposium discussion.

It is not surprising that we see the turning of attention to private law as the natural outgrowth of the success that organizations like the Federalist Society have had in altering the terms of debate over the Constitution, public law as a whole, and the institutional role of the courts in particular. In the face of this success and in an era of skepticism about the efficacy of government-centered solutions to social problems, attention should turn to private law. We believe that the time is ripe for thoughtful debate as to whether there is either a need or a coherent intellectual framework for concepts of limited government and judicial restraint in private law matters. 

–Symposium Committee, Vanderbilt Law School Federalist Society

 

Friday, February 20 

6:30 p.m.
Opening Remarks

7:00 p.m.
Panel: Should Tort Law be a Form of Public Regulatory Laws?

  • Prof. Carl Bogus, Roger Williams University
  • Prof. John Goldberg, Vanderbilt University
  • Prof. George Priest, Yale University
  • Moderator: Judge Edith Jones, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit


Saturday, February 21

9:00 a.m.
Debate: Is Civil Litigation a Threat to Democracy?

  • Mr. Philip Howard, Covington & Burling
  • Prof. Charles Silver, University of Texas
  • Moderator: Judge Danny Boggs, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

10:15 a.m.
Panel: The WTO and the Governance of International Trade

  • Prof. Robert Howse, University of Michigan
  • Prof. David Kennedy, Harvard University
  • Prof. John McGinnis, Northwestern University
  • Prof. Jide Nzelibe, Bigelow fellow at Chicago Law School
  • Moderator: Prof. Allison Danner, Vanderbilt University

2:00 p.m.
Panel: The Regulation of Corporate Responsibility and the Private Character of Corporate Law?

  • Judge J. Frank Easterbrook, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • Prof. Jill Fisch, Fordham University
  • Prof. Jonathan Macey, Cornell University
  • Moderator: Hon. Alex Acosta, U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division

4:00 p.m.
Panel: Private Property & Environmentalism: Allies or Enemies?

  • Prof. Peter Byrne, Georgetown University
  • Prof. James Ely, Vanderbilt University
  • Prof. James Huffman, Lewis & Clark Law School
  • Prof. Tom Merrill, Columbia University
  • Moderator: Prof. Marcus Cole, Stanford University

7:00 p.m.
Banquet

Back to top
6:30 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Panel I: Should Tort Law be a Form of Public Regulatory Laws?

2004 National Student Symposium

   
Topics: Administrative Law & Regulation • Litigation
Vanderbilt University Law School
131 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203

Share

Description

6:30 p.m.
Opening Remarks

7:00 p.m.
Panel: Should Tort Law be a Form of Public Regulatory Laws?

  • Prof. Carl Bogus, Roger Williams University
  • Prof. John Goldberg, Vanderbilt University
  • Prof. George Priest, Yale University
  • Moderator: Judge Edith Jones, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Speakers

Carl T. Bogus portrait

Carl T. Bogus

Edith H. Jones portrait

Edith H. Jones

George L. Priest portrait

George L. Priest

  • In-Person Event
Back to top
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Debate: Is Civil Litigation a Threat to Democracy?

2004 National Student Symposium

   
Topics: Constitution • Litigation • Politics
Vanderbilt University Law School
131 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203

Share

Description

9:00 a.m.
Debate: Is Civil Litigation a Threat to Democracy?

  • Mr. Philip Howard, Covington & Burling
  • Prof. Charles Silver, University of Texas
  • Moderator: Judge Danny Boggs, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Speakers

Danny J. Boggs portrait

Danny J. Boggs

Philip K. Howard portrait

Philip K. Howard

Charles Silver portrait

Charles Silver

  • In-Person Event
10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Panel II: The WTO and the Governance of International Trade

2004 National Student Symposium

   
Topics: Foreign Policy • International Law & Trade
Vanderbilt University Law School
131 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203

Share

Description

10:15 a.m.
Panel: The WTO and the Governance of International Trade

  • Prof. Robert Howse, University of Michigan
  • Prof. David Kennedy, Harvard University
  • Prof. John McGinnis, Northwestern University
  • Prof. Jide Nzelibe, Bigelow fellow at Chicago Law School
  • Moderator: Prof. Allison Danner, Vanderbilt University

Speakers

John O. McGinnis portrait

John O. McGinnis

Jide Okechuku Nzelibe portrait

Jide Okechuku Nzelibe

  • In-Person Event
2:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Panel III: The Regulation of Corporate Responsibility and the Private Character of Corporate Law?

2004 National Student Symposium

   
Topics: Corporations, Securities & Antitrust • Professional Responsibility & Legal Education
Vanderbilt University Law School
131 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203

Share

Description

2:00 p.m.
Panel: The Regulation of Corporate Responsibility and the Private Character of Corporate Law?

  • Judge J. Frank Easterbrook, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • Prof. Jill Fisch, Fordham University
  • Prof. Jonathan Macey, Cornell University
  • Moderator: Hon. Alex Acosta, U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division

Speakers

R. Alexander Acosta portrait

R. Alexander Acosta

Frank H. Easterbrook portrait

Frank H. Easterbrook

Jill Fisch portrait

Jill Fisch

Jonathan R. Macey portrait

Jonathan R. Macey

  • In-Person Event
4:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Panel IV: Private Property & Environmentalism: Allies or Enemies?

2004 National Student Symposium

   
Topics: Environmental & Energy Law • Property Law • Environmental Law & Property Rights
Vanderbilt University Law School
131 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203

Share

Description

4:00 p.m.
Panel: Private Property & Environmentalism: Allies or Enemies?

  • Prof. Peter Byrne, Georgetown University
  • Prof. James Ely, Vanderbilt University
  • Prof. James Huffman, Lewis & Clark Law School
  • Prof. Tom Merrill, Columbia University
  • Moderator: Prof. Marcus Cole, Stanford University

Speakers

J. Peter Byrne portrait

J. Peter Byrne

Gilbert Marcus Cole portrait

Gilbert Marcus Cole

James W. Ely portrait

James W. Ely

James L. Huffman portrait

James L. Huffman

Thomas W. Merrill portrait

Thomas W. Merrill

  • In-Person Event
7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
2004 National Student Symposium Banquet

2004 National Student Symposium

   
Vanderbilt University Law School
131 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203

Share

  • In-Person Event
Back to top