Watch the Live Stream here beginning at 9:00 a.m. on October 5, 2018!


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.

Schedule

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2018
Friday, October 5th
8:30 AM

Breakfast/Registration

FIU College of Law, Atrium

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

9:00 AM

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Prof. Antony Page, Dean, FIU College of Law
Howard M. Wasserman, FIU Law

FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

9:15 AM

Panel 1: Barnette in Historical Context

Moderator: Dean Joëlle Moreno, FIU College of Law

Prof. Ronald K. L. Collins, University of Washington School of Law
Prof. John Inazu, Washington University School of Law
Prof. Genevieve Lakier, University of Chicago Law School
Prof. Brad Snyder, Georgetown University Law Center

FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom

9:15 AM - 11:00 AM

11:00 AM

Break

FIU College of Law, Atrium

11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

11:15 AM

Panel 2: Reading Barnette

Moderator: Prof. Tawia Ansah, FIU College of Law

Prof. Paul Horwitz, University of Alabama School of Law
Prof. Aaron Saiger, Fordham University School of Law
Prof. Steven Smith, University of San Diego School of Law

FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM

12:45 PM

Lunch

FIU College of Law, Atrium

12:45 PM - 1:30 PM

1:30 PM

Keynote Address

Prof. John Q. Barrett, St. John's University School of Law

FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

2:30 PM

Panel 3: Barnette in Modern Context

Moderator: Prof. Howard M. Wasserman, FIU College of Law

Prof. Erica Goldberg, University of Dayton School of Law
Prof. Abner S. Greene, Fordham University School of Law
Prof. Leslie Kendrick, University of Virginia School of Law

FIU College of Law, Large Courtroom

2:30 PM - 4:00 PM