The year 2018 marks the 75th anniversary of West Virginia Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette, one of the earliest, most significant, and most enduring Supreme Court statements on the First Amendment. Containing Robert H. Jackson’s sweeping rhetoric about freedom of conscience and overruling a decision involving identical facts from three years earlier, Barnette recognized the right of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a despised and violently targeted minority religious group, to protection against compelled participation in patriotic rituals in the middle of World War II. Jackson’s ideal of the “fixed star in our constitutional constellation” has been a touchstone for seven decades of First Amendment jurisprudence. And amid an array of new disputes over patriotic symbols and compelled expression, this anniversary year offers an opportunity to examine Barnette’s history, evolution, and continued relevance.
| 2018 | ||
| Friday, October 5th | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 AM |
FIU College of Law, Atrium 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM |
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| 9:00 AM |
Prof. Antony Page, Dean, FIU College of Law FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM |
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| 9:15 AM |
Panel 1: Barnette in Historical Context Moderator: Dean Joëlle Moreno, FIU College of LawProf. Ronald K. L. Collins, University of Washington School of Law FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom 9:15 AM - 11:00 AM |
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| 11:00 AM |
FIU College of Law, Atrium 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM |
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| 11:15 AM |
Moderator: Prof. Tawia Ansah, FIU College of Law
Prof. Paul Horwitz, University of Alabama School of Law FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM |
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| 12:45 PM |
FIU College of Law, Atrium 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM |
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| 1:30 PM |
Prof. John Q. Barrett, St. John's University School of Law FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM |
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| 2:30 PM |
Panel 3: Barnette in Modern Context Moderator: Prof. Howard M. Wasserman, FIU College of LawProf. Erica Goldberg, University of Dayton School of Law FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM |
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