Separation of Powers as a Safeguard of Federalism

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Notre Dame Law Review sponsored its annual symposium on Friday, October 19, 2007. The subject of the symposium was "Separation of Powers as a Safeguard of Federalism"—a thesis propounded by Professor Brad Clark in an article of the same title. Specifically, participating scholars discussed the implications of that thesis for federal courts and the federal system.

Anthony J. Bellia Jr., Notre Dame Law Review Faculty Advisor and John Cardinal O'Hara Associate Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School, introduced and moderated the 2007 symposium.

The list of contributors included:

Bradford R. Clark
William Cranch Research Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School

William Eskridge, Jr.
John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence, Yale Law School

Elizabeth Garrett
Sydney M. Irmas Professor in Public Interest Law, Legal Ethics, Political Science and Policy, Planning and Development,
USC Gould School of Law

John F. Manning
Bruce Bromley Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

Peter L. Strauss
Betts Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

Carlos Manuel Vázquez
Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center

Ernest A. Young
Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts, University of Texas School of Law

Each scholar participated on one of two panels focusing on federal judicial power as it relates to either legislative or non-legislative sources of law. Specific topics of discussion ranged from statutory interpretation to customary international law. This event provided a unique opportunity for Notre Dame Law School students to hear from leading scholars as they identified and discussed issues at the heart of current disagreements over federal judicial power.

For more information about this event, please visit the symposium website at http://www.nd.edu/~abellia/clarkconf/ or contact the Law Review at ndlrev@nd.edu.