Time: Mon Feb 14, 2022, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Location: McCartan Courtroom, Eck Hall of Law (View on map.nd.edu)

Since its creation, the federal court system has always featured equity — broadly defined — in one fashion or another. However, much remains unsettled regarding the qualitative nature of the federal equity power, its relationship vis-à-vis law, and its proper scope within the broader constitutional system of law.

This year’s Federal Courts Symposium will feature several panels of prominent legal scholars addressing these complex questions from historical, judicial, and academic perspectives. Justice Amy Coney Barrett will deliver the Symposium’s keynote address.

Panel One: The Structural Underpinnings of Equity and Their Consequences

8:30 a.m., McCartan Courtroom

• Rachel Bayefsky, University of Virginia School of Law
• Seth Davis, University of California, Berkeley School of Law
• John Harrison, University of Virginia School of Law
• Mila Sohoni, University of San Diego School of Law
• Moderator: David Waddilove, Notre Dame Law School

Panel Two: Equity and Law in a Merged Court System

10:30 a.m., McCartan Courtroom

• Samuel Bray and Paul Miller, Notre Dame Law School
• Andrew Kull, University of Texas at Austin School of Law
• Michael Morley, Florida State University College of Law
• Ernest Young, Duke University School of Law
• Moderator: Judge Margaret Ryan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

Keynote Address

12:30 p.m., McCartan Courtroom

• Hon. Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court of the United States

Panel Three: Federalism & Equity: Navigating Equity in a Dual Court System

2:45 p.m., McCartan Courtroom

• Kellen Funk, Columbia Law School
• James Pfander and Peter Douglas, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
• Fred Smith, Jr., Emory University School of Law
• Moderator: Jay Tidmarsh, Notre Dame Law School