Conferences & Symposia

The Maryland Constitutional Law Schmooze

Friday and Saturday
December 1-2, 2006


The Maryland Discussion Group on Constitutionalism – also known as the Maryland Constitutional Law Schmooze continues a tradition started nearly 20 years ago by Mark Tushnet, to provide constitutional scholars with an opportunity for informal dialogue on interesting and provocative topics. Since 2001 the Schmooze has been organized by Professor Mark A. Graber and since 2003 has been held at the University of Maryland School of Law.

Participation in the Schmooze is by invitation. Traditionally each participant is asked to submit a short paper (10-15 pages) related to the discussion topic which serves as the "ticket of admission." Leading scholars from the legal academy and political science with interests in comparative constitutional politics, American constitutional politics, political development and political theory gather for stimulating discussion on such topics as "Juristocracy," "The Canon of Constitutional Law," and "The Hardest Question in Constitutional Law."

The 2006 Schmooze will be held on Friday and Saturday, December 1-2 and will center around the topic "An Eighteenth Century Constitution in a Twenty-first Century World" which is inspired by publications by two frequent Schmoozers, Sandy Levinson’s Our Undemocractic Consitution and Kim Lane Scheppele’s The International State of Emergency: the Challenge for Constitutionalism after September 11.

Papers from the Schmooze may be found in the E-Scholarship Repository at http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/schmooze/

For additional information contact Professor Mark Graber at mgraber@gvpt.umd.edu or mgraber@law.umaryland.edu or call 301-405-4125.