Volume 101 Symposia

Notre Dame Law Review Symposia 2025-2026: Request for Proposals

The Notre Dame Law Review invites proposals for its two 2025–2026 symposia. In accordance with twenty-five years of tradition, one of the Law Review’s symposia will be on a topic related to federal courts, practice, and procedure. The second symposium’s topic is not limited in scope and can focus on any engaging matter.

Previous Federal Courts, Practice, & Procedure Symposium topics include:

• State Standing
• The Future of Qualified Immunity
• Constitutional Structure
• The Eleventh Amendment, Sovereign Immunity, & Alden v. Maine
• The Judiciary Act of 1925

Previous general symposium topics include:

• Constitutional Reconstruction: History and the Meaning of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments
• Contemporary Free Speech: The Marketplace of Ideas a Century Later
• Administrative Lawmaking in the 21st Century
• Religious Liberty and the Free Society: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Dignitatis Humanae
• The American Congress: Legal Implications of Gridlock

The Notre Dame Law Review has a long-standing tradition of hosting symposia that
unite well-respected and diverse speakers. Our goal is to foster intellectual engagement and create a forum for all to explore timely legal topics.

Traditionally, each participant publishes an article in one of the Law Review’s symposium issues.

What to Include in Your Proposal

Please submit your proposal as a PDF document. A strong proposal should be no more than five pages and include the following:

• A proposed title;
• A brief description explaining the topic, its importance, and its relevance (no more than 500 words);
• A list of individuals you might invite to write pieces for your proposed symposium for publication in the Notre Dame Law Review;
  • Please indicate what level of interest each individual has expressed, if any.
  • Please note that symposium issues generally include between seven and ten articles.
• If available, a brief description of proposed paper topics;
• A list of individuals who (1) might participate in your symposium without writing pieces for publication or (2) may be interested in publishing a shorter response piece in the Law Review’s online journal, Reflection (and what interest these individuals have expressed in participating, if any);
• The name and contact information of the proposed symposium organizer who would serve as the point person for coordination and decisions with the Law Review executive board; and
• Any potential sources of funding.

Please indicate whether your proposal would require more than one day. Symposia are traditionally held on a single day.

How to Submit a Proposal

Please submit your proposal by email to ndlrev@nd.edu. The Notre Dame Law Review will accept submissions until March 14, 2025. For questions, please email the Managing Symposium Editor, Emily Amershek, at eamershe@nd.edu.

Proposal Selection

The Symposium Team will review each proposal based on the following factors:

• Definition and focus of topic
• Originality of topic
• Timeliness and importance of topic
• Experience and expertise of proposed presenters/panelists
• Academic quality
• Available funding
• Optional: Integration of the Notre Dame Law Review’s Centennial Celebration

Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you!