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- 2024 Symposium Call for Papers
The St. John's Law Review is pleased to present a Call for Papers for its 2024 Symposium:
Is Stare Decisis for Suckers? The Supreme Court's Path and the Judiciary’s Future
In the wake of its recent decisions, including Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard, and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the idea that the U.S. Supreme Court adheres to the doctrine of stare decisis seems increasingly dubious, raising important questions about the doctrine's role and value. For this symposium, the St. John’s Law Review will bring legal scholars and practitioners together to critically examine the status and future of stare decisis in the Supreme Court, exploring the doctrine’s historical foundations, sources, and impacts on legal stability and reform.
Program Overview
The symposium will take place on Friday, November 15, 2024, and feature morning and afternoon panels. We’ll select panelists from submissions accepted for publication in a Spring 2025 issue of the St. John’s Law Review.
Call for Papers
You’re invited to submit unpublished scholarly papers that align with the symposium theme. Potential paper topics might include, but are not limited to:
- Constitutional boundaries of stare decisis and the extent of the Supreme Court's obligation to follow its precedents
- The balance between legal predictability/stability and the necessity of legal reform
- The impact of individual justices' philosophies on the interpretation of stare decisis
- Challenges faced by lower courts in applying Supreme Court precedents and their flexibility in deviating from established rulings
- The evolving interpretations of the Supreme Court and their impact on legal consistency
Submission Guidelines
Please email your paper proposal (500–750 words), a brief bio, and your contact information as a Word attachment to [email protected] by October 15, 2024. If we accept your paper for publication, we’ll need the full draft (1000–7000 words) by November 8, 2024.
See You There!
Join us in this examination of stare decisis and its future trajectory in the U.S. Supreme Court. We look forward to your contributions!