Georgetown Law
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Georgetown Law’s Federalist Society Student Chapter hosted the 37th National Student Symposium on March 9-10, 2018. The topic of the Symposium was "First Principles of the Constitution." Video now available!
View this event on Facebook here.
REGISTRATION INFO:
On-line registration is now closed.
On-site registration will be available beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
JOIN OR RENEW YOUR STUDENT MEMBERSHIP ($5):
https://fedsoc.org/join
Student Symposium Registration (includes all events except the Saturday night cocktail reception and banquet). Please note that the Friday night Supreme Court reception is CLOSED. We are at capacity.
- $10 (student members)
- $100 (non-students) (Friday night reception is not included for non-students.)
Banquet and Saturday night cocktail reception (This does not include Student Symposium registration):
- $55 (student members) SOLD OUT
- $200 (non-students) SOLD OUT
LODGING:
A block of rooms at a reduced rate are available at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, DC until February 9, 2018. Click HERE to reserve a room or call (202) 737-1234 and indicate that you’d like to make a reservation under the Federalist Society room block. Rates are: Single or Double Occupancy ($179), Triple Occupancy ($204), or Quadruple Occupancy ($229).
50% TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP FOR DUES-PAYING STUDENT MEMBERS.
(TRAVEL ONLY—does not include lodging)
DOWNLOAD REIMBURSEMENT FORM HERE
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6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
The Judicial Power: The Judicial Duty to Follow the Law or a Discretionary Power of Judicial Review?
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Constitution • Federalism • Supreme Court |
|---|
Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Video
Description
Hamilton referred to the federal judiciary as the “least dangerous” branch of the new federal government. But the Court has clearly done more than he envisioned. What is its proper role? How much should judges interpret the exact text and how much should they look to the core principles the text seeks to protect?
- Welcome: Ethan Womble, President, Georgetown Student Chapter
- Opening Remarks: Dean Mitchell C. Bailin, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Georgetown Law
- Justice Clint Bolick, Arizona Supreme Court
- Ed Whelan, President, Ethics & Public Policy Center, former Law Clerk to Justice Scalia, and Co-Editor, Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith and Life Well Lived
- Moderator: Judge Kevin C. Newsom, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- Introduction: Darina Merriam, Vice President and Symposium Chair, Georgetown Student Chapter
Speakers
7:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Presentation of the 2017 Article I Initiative Writing Contest Award
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Article I Initiative • Constitution |
|---|
Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Description
The 2017 Article I Initiative Writing Contest Award is presented by Mr. Christopher DeMuth, Co-Chairman of the Federalist Society's Board of Visitors.
Speakers
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Cocktail Reception
2018 National Student Symposium
Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20543
1 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20543
Description
NOTE: Due to space constraints, the reception is only open to the first 300 law student registrants.
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Ending Government-by-Litigation: An Address by Attorney General Jeff Sessions
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Litigation |
|---|
Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Video
Description
Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered this address at the 2018 National Student Symposium at Georgetown Law on March 10, 2018.
- Hon. Jeff Sessions, Attorney General of the United States
- Introduction by: Prof. Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown Law
- Welcome: Ethan Womble, President, Georgetown Student Chapter
Speakers
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
The Relationship Between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Constitution • Federalism • Founding Era & History • Philosophy |
|---|
Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Video
Description
In 1776, the Continental Congress declared the birth of a new nation. Six of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence went on to craft and sign the Constitution in 1787. What role does the Declaration of Independence play in constitutional interpretation? Should it be considered foundational to the Constitution’s purpose and structure or is it just one source among many?
- Prof. Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown Law
- Prof. Michael P. Zuckert, Nancy Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science, The University of Notre Dame
- Prof. John Mikhail, Agnes N. Williams Research Professor; Associate Dean, Research and Academic Programs, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
- Prof. Lee J. Strang, John W. Stoepler Professor of Law & Values, The University of Toledo College of Law
- Moderator: Judge Thomas Hardiman, United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Speakers
10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
The Executive Power: Prerogative Versus Delegated Powers – A King Minus Powers Given to Congress or Subservient to the Legislature?
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Constitution • Federalism • Founding Era & History |
|---|
Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Video
Description
What role for the executive was envisioned by the Framers and Founding generation? How did the Founding generation understand the Executive’s role? How did the likely first President, George Washington shape their views? Has the role of the Executive changed?
- Prof. Martin S. Flaherty, Leitner Family Professor, Co-Director, Leitner Center for International Law and Justice, Fordham University School of Law
- Prof. John C. Yoo, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law and Co-Faculty Director, Korea Law Center, University of California, Berkeley Law School
- Prof. Saikrishna Prakash, James Monroe Distinguished Professor of Law and Paul G. Mahoney Research Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
- Prof. Michael W. McConnell, Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center, Stanford Law School
- Moderator: Judge Amul Thapar, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Speakers
12:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break
2018 National Student Symposium
McDonough 2nd Floor Lobby, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
12:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lunch Discussion: Becoming an Academic
2018 National Student Symposium
McDonough, Lecture Room 200, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Description
- Prof. Josh Blackman, Associate Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law Houston
- Prof. Renée Lettow Lerner, Donald Phillip Rothschild Research Professor, George Washington Law
- Dr. Jesse Merriam, Assistant Professor and Pre-Law Advisor, Department of Political Science, Loyola University Maryland
- Dr. David Hyman, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
- Moderator: Hon. Lee Liberman Otis, Senior Vice President & Director, Faculty Division, The Federalist Society
Speakers
12:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lunch Discussion: An Introduction to the Lawyers Division
2018 National Student Symposium
McDonough, Lecture Room 203, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Description
- Ms. Erin Murphy, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
- Mr. Alan Gura, Partner, Gura PLLC
- Ms. Alyssa DaCunha, Counsel, Wilmer Hale
- Mr. Prerak Shah, Chief of Staff to Senator Cruz
- Moderator: Ms. Lisa Ezell, Vice President & Director, Lawyers Chapters, The Federalist Society
Speakers
12:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Book signing featuring Ed Whelan, President, Ethics & Public Policy Center, former Law Clerk to Justice Scalia, and Co-Editor, Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith and Life Well Lived
2018 National Student Symposium
McDonough 2nd Floor Lobby, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Description
Books will be available for purchase.
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Reconstructing First Principles: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Constitution
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Constitution • Federalism • Founding Era & History • Fourteenth Amendment |
|---|
Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Video
Description
The Fourteenth Amendment dramatically changed constitutional law. How are we to understand these changes? Did the Fourteenth Amendment change our Federalism and, if so, how much?
- Prof. John C. Harrison, James Madison Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
- Prof. Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
- Elizabeth B. Wydra, President, Constitutional Accountability Center
- Prof. Kurt T. Lash, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Chair in Law, University of Richmond School of Law
- Moderator: Judge Diane S. Sykes, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Speakers
3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Perfecting the Constitution - a Roundtable: Visions for the 28th Amendment
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Constitution • Founding Era & History |
|---|
Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Video
Description
Article V of the Constitution provides a process for amending the Constitution. However, this process has only produced a handful of Amendments. Many Amendments have been proposed throughout the nation’s history. What’s next? Looking to first principles, did the Founders leave anything out that is necessary today? What possible Amendments might be desirable and practical?
- Prof. Jamal Greene, Dwight Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
- Prof. Laura Donohue, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law
- Prof. Michael S. Greve, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
- Prof. John O. McGinnis, George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
- Prof. Robin Fretwell Wilson, Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law, Illinois College of Law
- Moderator: Judge Amy Coney Barrett, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Speakers
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Cocktail Reception
2018 National Student Symposium
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Description
This event is sold out. Tickets are no longer available.
7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
A Conversation with Justice Thomas
2018 National Student Symposium
| Topics: | Constitution • Supreme Court |
|---|
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Video
Description
The Georgetown Student Chapter hosted this conversation with Justice Thomas during the 2018 National Student Symposium Banquet on March 10, 2018.
- Hon. Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- Prof. Jennifer Mascott, Assistant Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Supreme Court and Administrative Law Clinics, Antonin Scalia Law School
