Is Our Constitutional Order Broken?
Structural and Doctrinal Questions in Constitutional Law

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government —
lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”    Patrick Henry

Two hundred and twenty-three years after the signing of the U.S. Constitution, it is essential to continue the examination of its function. In a fast-changing society, we must examine the Constitution to ensure we are not following a system that is either structurally or doctrinally dysfunctional.

The time is right for a critical discussion of:
• the use of the filibuster and potential Senate reform;
• presidential, congressional, and judicial term limits, their effect on the country, and whether they should be abandoned;
• the practice of gerrymandering and its consequences; and
• the implications of structural federalism and the tensions it creates between federal and state governments.

Participants will address the constitutionality of current practices, possible reformations of those practices, and their social and cultural impacts. This symposium will spark debate, highlight changes needed to improve the functioning of our society, and challenge the purported benefits of change versus the status quo.

Keynote Speaker:
Sanford V. Levinson
Visiting Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair and
Professor of Government, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Confirmed Panelists:
Mario Barnes - University of California, Irvine School of Law
Jack M. Beermann – Boston University School of Law
Aaron Bruhl – University of Houston Law Center
Josh Chafetz – Cornell Law School
Luis Fuentes-Rohwer – Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Jeffrey Ladewig – University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science
Jennifer L. Levi – Western New England College School of Law
Gerard N. Magliocca – Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis
Janai S. Nelson – St. John’s University School of Law
Helen L. Norton - University of Colorado Law School
Shayla C. Nunnally – University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science
Jeremy R. Paul – University of Connecticut School of Law
Charles R. Venator Santiago – University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science

Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided to those who RSVP by October 9, 2010 to connlrev@law.uconn.edu.
For more information, please contact the Connecticut Law Review at connlrev@law.uconn.edu or (860) 570-5331.

If you require reasonable accommodations for a disability, please contact Jane Thierfeld Brown at (860) 570-5130. 

Connecticut Law Review