Religious Liberty and the Free Society: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Dignitatis Humanae

The Notre Dame Law Review will host its annual Symposium on Nov. 5-6, 2015 in the Patrick F. McCartan Courtroom at Notre Dame Law School. This year’s Symposium is titled Religious Liberty and the Free Society: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Dignitatis Humanae. The event will celebrate and examine the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom and is part of the 2015-16 Notre Dame Forum.

The Symposium will feature two keynote speakers, beginning with an address from Bishop Daniel E. Flores at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5. Bishop Flores currently serves as the Bishop of Brownsville, Texas. The Symposium will conclude with a keynote address at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, from John H. Garvey, President of The Catholic University of America.

On Friday, Nov. 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., panelists will present their works with topics including “Religious Freedom, the First Amendment and U.S. Law,” “Examining the History of Dignitatis Humanae and Religious Freedom,” and “Religion, Society, and the Modern World.” The panels will be moderated by Judge Richard Sullivan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Panelists include Professors Thomas Berg of the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Paul Horwitz of the University of Alabama School of Law, Christopher Lund of Wayne State University Law School, Mark Movsesian and Marc DeGirolami of St. John’s University School of Law, Brett Scharffs of Brigham Young University Law School, Steven Smith of the University of San Diego School of Law, Anna Su of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and Richard Garnett and Phillip Muñoz of Notre Dame Law School.

The Notre Dame Law Review has a long tradition of hosting symposia that bring together well-respected and diverse speakers around a variety of timely and thought-provoking legal topics. Held each fall semester, the annual Symposium provides an environment for intellectual engagement and an opportunity to wrestle with pressing legal issues.

This year’s Symposium is co-sponsored by the Notre Dame Law Review, Notre Dame Forum, the Notre Dame Law School Program on Church, State & Society, the Tocqueville Program for Inquiry into Religion and Public Life, and the Potenziani Program in Constitutional Studies.