Constitutional democracies are under pressure from all sides. Progressive have grown impatient with a society that has been too slow to deliver on the promise of freedom of equality for its marginalized members. Conservatives fear “woke-ism” and the speed with which society seems to be abandoning its traditional values. And as an added challenge, we continue to see the rise of authoritarianism regimes around the globe. Against this backdrop, it is increasingly unclear what work a constitution can do or is supposed to do.

And yet, despite their flaws, constitutional democracies hold the promise of stability, freedom, equality, and even progress—some glimmer of hope against the emerging global specter of illiberal, anti-democratic authoritarianism. The purpose of this conference is to bring together legal scholars, philosophers of law, and academics from the other humanities from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss the past, present, and future of constitutionalism.