Georgetown Conference

It's taken me a while to start posting here, but I'm finally starting. The point of this is to add commemnts and further information on topics discussed in class. One way to think of it is footnotes; another way might be marginalia. I'll also add other information relative to or of interest to the class.

This Friday there is a very interesting program on natural rights and the American regime at Georgetown sponsored by the Tocqueville Forum, which always sponsors very good things. The program starts in the morning (during class), but there are interesting things scheduled in the afternoon that you might wish to attend. Here is the basic information.

Natural Rights and the American Constitutional Experience
Friday, January 30, 2009, 9:30am – 3:30pm Copley Formal Lounge
The Declaration of Independence states that the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are self-evident, and today, the use of rights language is dominant in U.S. political rhetoric and courts. The U.S. seems to be a regime based on rights. In this conference we bring together some of the best thinkers to discuss the idea of natural rights in relation to our American Constitution and way of life. They will address such pressing questions that are at the forefront of our American political process: What is the origin of natural rights and how are they related to the rights in the Constitution? Was the Constitution established to protect natural rights, create them, or promote natural law? How should Supreme Court Judges view natural rights in relation to their decision making on Constitutional cases?

Schedule9:30am-11:00am: The Origin and Nature of Natural Rights and the U.S. ConstitutionBrian Tierney, Cornell University: Sources of the American Idea of Natural Rights: Some Competing NarrativesRobert Kraynak, Colgate University: Ordered Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights in Cultural ContextRespondent: Steven Brust, Georgetown University

11:15am – 12:45pm: Perspectives on the Constitution, Natural Rights, and Natural LawRobert George, Princeton University: What is Natural Law?Randy Barnett, Georgetown Law School: Was Lochner Right? Natural Rights and the Fourteenth AmendmentModerator: Patrick Deneen, Georgetown University

12:45pm-2:00pm: Lunch with Keynote AddressMichael Novak, American Enterprise Institute (begins at 1:00pm): Belief in a Certain Type of God as a Foundation of the Natural Right of ConscienceRSVP required for Lunch

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Natural Rights, the Bill of Rights and Judges: Theory and PracticeChristopher Wolfe, McInerny Center for Thomistic Studies: Natural Rights, the Constitution, and Judicial ReviewCharles Lugosi, Ave Maria Law School: Why Judges Should Understand the True Nature of the Rule of Law to Effectively Interpret the Constitution to Protect the Rights of All Persons.Respondent: Phillip Muñoz, Tufts University

Please RSVP by Wednesday to mailto:tocquevilleforum@georgetown.edu?subject=RSVP%20Natural%20Rights%20Conference or (202) 687-8501. Join us for as much of the conference as you are able. RSVP is required for the Lunch and Keynote Address.

Sponsored by the Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy.
Part of the Department of Government at Georgetown University
Visit http://www.tocquevilleforum.org/ for more information.