Call for Papers for “Originalism and Criminal Justice Symposium”

I am very excited to be part of a planning team for a big event, “Originalism and Criminal Justice Symposium,” to take place at The Ohio State University on September 8-9, 2026.   Basic details about the event are available at this link; in short form, the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society and the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University are sponsoring a conference delving into the application of originalist methodologies to contemporary issues of constitutional doctrine and practice in the criminal justice context.  This conference includes soliciting of papers — both full-length articles and shorter essays — for a scholarship workshop expected to take place on September 8, 2026. The full call for papers is available at this link, and here is the heart of the call:

As part of this conference, we are soliciting papers for a scholarship workshop expected to take place on September 8, 2026. Junior scholars are especially encouraged to submit papers (and will be paired with a senior scholar to review and discuss their submission). Scholars who are supportive of, and those who are skeptical about, originalist approaches to the Constitution are all highly encouraged to participate.

Participants should plan to have a full draft to circulate by August 1, 2026, and we welcome submissions of both full-length articles (15,000-30,000 words) and shorter essays (5,000-10,000 words). The full-length articles will be gathered and published in a symposium edition of the Ohio State Journal of Criminal LawFederal Sentencing Reporter.

Deadline for proposals:

• Please submit a title and a proposed abstract of no more than 500 words by November 1, 2025. You can submit your proposal using our Qualtrics form.
• Abstracts should note if the author expects to produce an article or essay, and accepted scholars will be notified by December 15, 2025….

By fostering a dynamic dialogue among originalist experts, as well as jurists and scholars who are skeptical about originalist methods, this conference seeks to deepen understanding of the intersection of originalism and criminal justice doctrines as well as modern debates over constitutional criminal law and procedures.