Sovereignty Symposium XXIV Chief Justice John B. Doolin Writing Competition

Deadline

March 31, 2011

Description

Sovereignty Symposium XXIV  Chief Justice John B. Doolin Writing Competition

John B. Doolin was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1972, and he served as Chief Justice from 1987-1988.   He loved to read and write, collect Indian art, and buy Navajo rugs. He recognized the need for a forum to address Native American issues as a result of his service on the Indian Affairs Committee at the National Chief Justices’ Conference. He authorized the formation of the Sovereignty Symposium in 1988.
 
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission, the Sovereignty Symposium, Inc., and the Oklahoma Arts Council are sponsoring a law student writing competition, open to all students enrolled in an accredited law school in the United States, its territories or Canada. 
 
In conjunction with Sovereignty Symposium XXIV, which will be held June 1 and June 2, 2011 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a scholarly collection of legal and historical writings will be presented to all participants. Legal libraries all over the United States regularly solicit copies of the publications for their collections.  The subject matter of the paper may be on any area of the law relating to Native Americans or other indigenous peoples. First, second, and third prizes in the amounts of $500.00; $300.00; and $200.00 will be awarded. The winning entry will also be published in the 2011 Symposium compendium of materials. Second and third place entries will be published if space permits. Entries must be received no later than March 31, 2011. Publication releases will be required prior to payment of prize money. 
 
The entries in the writing competition must be not less than thirty (30) single-spaced pages nor more than fifty (50) single-spaced pages in length. The paper used shall be 8-1/2” x 11” in size and white in color. The title of the paper, the name of the author and a current mailing address and telephone number must be placed on a cover page. Only the title of the paper should appear at the top of the first page of the text. The author’s name should appear on the cover page only. Papers must be submitted in Word or Word Perfect format. You may e-mail the formatted version to kyle.shifflett@oscn.net. Use a 12-point font in Times New Roman format. Again, the document should be single spaced. The left and right margins must be 2”; the top and bottom margins must be 1.5”.  Papers will be evaluated using the following criteria: Timelines of Subject; Originality; Legal Analysis; Use of Authority (both Extent of Authority and the Correct Citation in Text); Creativity of Arguments; Strength and Logic of Conclusions; Grammar; Punctuation and Writing Style. Each of the criteria listed above will be evaluated on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest mark. The use of proper Bluebook form for endnotes, as well as Endnote Grammar, Analysis and Exploration will also be considered as part of the rating process. Text and endnote criteria listed above will be evaluated on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest mark.
 
The Symposium was established to provide a forum in which ideas concerning common legal issues may be exchanged in a scholarly, non-adversarial environment. The Oklahoma Supreme Court espouses no view on any of the issues or any of the positions taken by the participants. All entries must conform to the Symposium standards. Entries that fail to do so in the opinion of the competition judges will be disqualified.
 
Papers must be submitted to:   
The Sovereignty Symposium
Oklahoma State Capitol, Room 208
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
 
For further information, contact Julie Rorie at (405)522—5801, or email julie.rorie@oscn.net.