The Global Summit on Constitutionalism

March 20–22, 2025 • The University of Texas at Austin

Concurrent Sessions

Thursday, March 20, 2025

11:00am
Concurrent Sessions I

What Does Democracy Demand?
Chair: Rhonda Evans (The University of Texas at Austin)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Tania Groppi (University of Siena), Sustainability and Constitutions: Constitutional Law and the Dilemma of the Future
    2. Eugene Mazo (Duquesne University), Ballot “Harvesting”
    3. Dániel G. Szabó (Budapest City Hall), Fair European Elections through the Court of Justice
    4. Charlie Martel (Lewis and Clark), The Right to Vote for an American President: The Law vs. The Supreme Court
    5. Rafael Jerez Moreno (HCH Digital Media), An Approach to the Basis of the Right to Freedom of Association According to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Populisms as a Disruptive Factor of the EU Social Contract
Chairs: Antonia Baraggia (Università degli Studi di Milano) and Catarina Santos Botelho (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Antoni Abat i Ninet (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), The European Union Social Contract of the Twenty-First Century
    2. Giuseppe Martinico (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa), Populism and the EU Social Contract
    3. Cristina Fasone (LUISS Guido Carli), Re-Connecting Authority and Democratic Legitimacy in the EU

Challenges and Opportunities for Democratic Constitution-Making: Lessons from Chile
Chair: Claudia Heiss (Universidad de Chile)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Claudia Heiss (Universidad de Chile), Citizen Participation: A Process of Trial and Error
    2. Maria Cristina Escudero (Universidad de Chile), Rules of the Game for a New Constitution
    3. Pamela Figueroa (Universidad de Santiago), Old and New Actors in Constitution-Making
    4. Sebastian Salazar (Universidad Alberto Hurtado), Paradoxes of the Chilean Constitutional Proposals 2018-2023: The Case of Institutional Framework
  1. Constitutional Reform in the World
    Chair: Jairo Lima (State University of Northern Parana)
    Location: TNH 2.140
    1. Vasileios Tzemos (University of Thessaly) and Dimitrios Stranis (University of West Attica), Constitutional Amendment and Constitutional Changes in Greece
    2. Olof Wilske (Uppsala University), IRCR: Sweden Report
    3. Rokeya Rahima (Chittagong Judges Court), Bangladesh New Constitution Debate: Reform or Rewrite
    4. Daniel Turp (Université de Montréal), A Written Constitution for Québec: Latest Developments

Constitutional Theory
Chair: Tanja Porcnik (University of Hamburg)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Tamar Hostovsky Brandes (Ono Academic College), Constitutional Solidarity – A Proposed Typology
    2. Margit Cohn (Hebrew University), Internal Tensions: The Less-Discussed Feature of Constitutionalism
    3. Tanja Porcnik (University of Hamburg), The Ontology of Constitutionalism
    4. Jonathan Chausovsky (SUNY Fredonia), Charters and Constitutions as Platonic Ideals

Comparative Constitutionalism: The Local Context
Chair: John Stanton (City St George’s, University of London)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Mark Lutwama (COSF Uganda; Kampala Capitol City Authority – Local Government), Constitutionalism in Uganda
    2. Tsung-Chun Chen (University of Illinois), The Decline of Civil Disobedience’s Traditional Role in Safeguarding Liberal Democratic Constitutionalism: Insights from an Empirical Study of Democratic Taiwan (2006–2021)
    3. Ram Mohan M Parameswaran (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad), The Supreme Court of India’s Use of Inherent Power under Article 142 of the Constitution: An Empirical Study
    4. Yinn-Ching Lu (Emory University), Court-Curbing in Taiwan

Thursday, March 20, 2025

1:45pm
Concurrent Sessions II

Constitutional Change: Process and Substance
Chair: Dolunay Bulut (University of Arizona)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Karem Aboelazm (University of Sharjah), The Role of Unconstitutionality of Legislative Omission in Constitutional Despotism
    2. Rhonda Evans (The University of Texas at Austin), Australia’s Voice Referendum: A Failure of Constitutional Vision
    3. Shaul Sharf (Peres Academic Center), Constitutional Procedure in Political Polarization: Who Really Establishes a Constitution?
    4. Michal Tamir (The Academic College for Law and Science), From Trauma to Transformation: Transitional Justice and Constitution Making in Post-October 7 Israel

Judicial Behavior and Strategy
Chair: Pegah Banihashemi (University of Chicago)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Giovanna Tieghi (University of Padua), The Courts, the People, and the Lifeblood of Democracies: Judicial Behavior and the Diversity Tool
    2. Márton Csapodi (Pázmány Péter Catholic University / Mathias Corvinus Collegium), Constitutional Complaint as a Tool of Influence? The Hungarian Constitutional Court’s Approach to Constitutional Complaints in Politically Salient Cases
    3. Yen-Tu Su (Academia Sinica), Old Habits, New Law, and the Quest for a More Productive Court: An Early Assessment of the Performance-Enhancing Effects of the Constitutional Court Procedure Act in Taiwan
    4. Masahiko Kinoshita (Kobe University), The Art of Judicial Review: The Japanese Supreme Court Strategies under Dominant-Party System

International Law and Constitutionalism
Chair: Mateo Merchán Duque (NYU)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Anny Matamoros Pineda (Lund University), Can Constitutionalism Promote Pluralism in the International Legal Sphere? An Analysis Based on the Latin American Experience
    2. Maria de Fátima Castro Moreira (Portucalense University), Autonomy of Insular Regions and Sustainable Management of Maritime Spaces: Constitutional and International Challenges and Perspectives
    3. René Ibraham Cardona Picón (Universidad Autónoma de Baja California), Can the Mexican Constitution Be Unconventional? Tension Between International Human Rights Law and the Principle of Sovereignty
    4. Jonathan Hafetz (Seton Hall), Freedom of Information and Compliance with International Law: A Comparative Analysis

Constitutional Amendment Design and Theory
Chair: Olof Wilske (Uppsala University)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Bruce Wilder (Wilder Mahood McKinley & Oglesby), How to Amend the Constitution
    2. Rick LaRue (Structure Matters), Amending the U.S. Constitution is Always Deemed Impossible . . . Before the Next Wave of Amendments Begins
    3. Marieta Safta (Titu Maiorescu University), The EU’s Influence on Constitutional Boundaries: Examining the Dynamic of the Limits of Amending the Romanian Constitution
    4. Rafael Macía Briedis (Indiana University), The Implicit Problem with Implicit Unamendability

Europe and the Rule of Law
Chair: Eleonora Bottini (University of Caen Normandy)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Oskar Polanski (European University Institute), If the Law Fails, Europe Fails
    2. Alessandro De Nicola (Roma Tre University), The European Union and the Democratization Process
    3. Ivan Sammut (University of Malta), Reconciling the Supremacy of National Constitutions of EU Members States with the Supremacy of EU Law
    4. Maria Kotsoni (Princeton University), A Broader Understanding of the “Social” in European Social Constitutionalism: Comparative Reflections on the Constitutionalization of European Fiscal Constraints

Tackling Democratic Backsliding
Chair: David Sobreira (Harvard University)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Meital Pinto (Zefat Academic College), From Nationalism to Shared Constitutional Identity: A Vision of Constitutional Hope for Israel
    2. Mikael Ruotsi (Uppsala University), Proactive Constitutional Amendments: Swedish Efforts to Prevent Democratic Backsliding
    3. Ahmed Elbasyouny (Indiana University), Militant Democracy Gone South: Parties, Actors, and the Arab Spring
    4. Krzysztof Kaleta (University of Warsaw), Beyond Populism: In Search of a New Explanatory Perspective of the Constitutional Crisis

Thursday, March 20, 2025

3:30pm
Concurrent Sessions III

Roundtable Discussion: The Future of Constitution-Making in Chile: Challenges and Prospects
Chair: Zachary Elkins (The University of Texas at Austin)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Jorge Barrera (University of Notre Dame)
    2. Maria Cristina Escudero (University of Chile)
    3. Claudia Heiss (University of Chile)
    4. Javier Tobar (Senate of the Republic of Chile)

Book Launch: Judicial Constraints on Legislatures in Europe 1990-2020
Chair: Márton Sulyok (Georgetown University / University of Szeged / MCC)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Rhonda Evans (The University of Texas at Austin)
    2. Yonatan Green (Georgetown University)
    3. Márton Sulyok (Georgetown University / University of Szeged / MCC)
    4. Kálmán Pócza (Ludovika University / Mathias Corvinus Collegium)

The Challenge of Democratic Consolidation
Chair: Hui-Wen Chen (University of Warwick)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Jorge Giannareas (Florida State University (Panama Branch)), Constituent Power in a Democracy: The Case of Panama
    2. Remzije Istrefi (Constitutional Court of Kosovo), Law, Identity, and Reconciliation: The Role of Constitutional Law in Post-Conflict Societies
    3. Jena Karim (University of London), The Limits and Opportunities of Localized Enforcement of Constitutional Equality Rights in Post-Conflict States
    4. Palma Strand (Marquette University) and Gregory O’Meara, S.J. (Marquette University), Reclaiming the Constitution: “For There is Light, If Only We’re Brave Enough to See It.”

The Constitutional Role of Fourth Branch Institutions in the Twenty-First Century
Chair: Cristina Fasone (LUISS Guido Carli)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Michael Pal (University of Ottawa), Fourth Branch Constitutionalism
    2. Wojciech Włoch (Nicolaus Copernicus University), Legalism and Rights Sensitivity. Towards an Ethics of Virtues of the Ombudsman 
    3. Enrico Campelli (University of Rome “La Sapienza”), The Ombudsman as a Guardian of Constitutional Democracy: Navigating the New Fourth Branch
    4. Nik de Boer (University of Amsterdam), Beyond Independence: Rethinking Central Banks’ Role in a Democratic Society
    5. Cristina Fasone (LUISS Guido Carli) and Maciej Serowaniec (Nicolaus Copernicus University), Guardians of Fiscal Integrity: Independent Fiscal Institutions as the Fourth Power in Democratic Governance

The Impact of Lobby Regulation on Fundamental Rights: A Comparative Analysis
Chair: Pier Luigi Petrillo (University of Rome Unitelma Sapienza)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Pier Luigi Petrillo (University of Rome Unitelma Sapienza), Fundamental Rights in Contemporary Democracies and the Regulation of Lobbying
    2. Silvia Sassi (University of Florence), Lobbying Legislations and Social Rights: Practical Cases
    3. Francesco Clementi (University La Sapienza of Rome), Digital Lobbying and Freedom of Expression in Comparative Perspective
    4. Vania Siciliano Aieta (UERJ – State University of Rio de Janeiro), Political Parties, Lobby and Electoral Campaign

Legislation: Principles and Procedures
Chair: Konstantinos Sioufas (LSE)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Christian Rodríguez Martínez (University of Magdalena), From Rationality to Legislative Argumentation: The Importance of the Application of the Principle of Proportionality by the Colombian Legislator in the Process of Creating the Law
    2. Jan Podkowik (University of Warsaw), Do Legislative Intentions Matter? On the Judicial Review of Legislative Intent by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal
    3. Konstantinos Sioufas (LSE), Constitutionalism & Constitutional Avoidance
    4. Gonen Ilan (Bar-Ilan University), Constitutionalizing Quorum Requirement in Constitutional Law-Making in Israel

Thursday, March 20, 2025

5:15pm
Concurrent Sessions IV

Constitutional Challenges of Generative AI
Chair: Joana Machado (Federal University of Juiz de Fora)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Yinn-Ching Lu (Emory University), Artificial Intelligence Adjudication: A Constitutional Analysis of AI Judge
    2. Gal Forer (UC Berkeley and Harvard University), Generative AI Regulation in China and California
    3. Omar Caramaschi (Università degli Studi di Genova), European Constitutionalism Challenged by Artificial Intelligence: Towards a Digital Constitutionalism?
    4. Gianmario Demuro (University of Cagliari), The Protection of Fundamental Rights in Cyberspace: What Role for Constitutional Law?
    5. Robert Rybski (University of Warsaw), AI Applications in CBDB: Setting Boundaries for Unchecked Governmental Powers

Constitution-Making and Constitutional Forms
Chair: Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu (Academia Sinica)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Felipe Chica (University of Illinois), The Paradoxes of the 1991 Constitution and Their Reflections in the Narrative of the Final Report of the Truth Commission: A Discourse Analysis on the Efficacy of Constitutional Law
    2. Dolunay Bulut (University of Arizona), Multi-Textuality and the Question of Constitutional Authorship: Legacy of the 1982 Turkish Constitution
    3. Mingtao Huang (Wuhan University), Somewhere Between the Written and Unwritten Constitution Model: Revisiting China’s Form of Constitution from the Perspective of Multi-textual Constitution
    4. Florian Wetzlaugk (LSE), The Idea of Constitutional Specificity: On the Trend towards Lengthier Constitutions and Its Justification

From Choice to Reproductive Justice: Realities Across the Americas
Chair: Guillermina Pappier (O’Neill Institute)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Laura Dragnic Tohá (Georgetown University), The Bittersweet Role of Chile’s Constitutional Court: Balancing Reproductive Justice and the Politics of Privacy
    2. Valeria Pedraza Benavides (Georgetown University), Constitutional Litigation to Advance Abortion Rights in Colombia: Milestones and Limitations
    3. Guillermina Pappier (O’Neill Institute), From the Ground Up: Grassroots Movements and Democratic Participation in Argentina’s Path to Abortion Decriminalization
    4. Rebecca Reingold (O’Neill Institute), Reflections on Abortion in the U.S. Post-Dobbs: Is De-Constitutionalization the Way Forward?
    5. Paulina Macías Ortega (Georgetown University), The Road to Abortion Decriminalization in Mexico: Strategic Litigation and Emerging Challenges
  1. Landmark Judgments: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives
    Chair: Francesco Biagi (University of Bologna)
    Location    : TNH 2.140

    1. Catarina Santos Botelho (Universidade Católica Portuguesa), The Portuguese Constitutional Court Between Identity and Change
    2. Marta Vicente (Universidade Católica Portuguesa), The Portuguese Constitutional Court Between Identity and Change
    3. Eleonora Bottini (University of Caen Normandy), Constitutional Landmark Judgments: An Effective Tool for Comparative Constitutional Law?
    4. Yaniv Roznai (Reichman University), The Landmark “Reasonableness” Case: Making the Israeli Supreme Court – Supreme
    5. Francesco Biagi (University of Bologna), More than a Landmark: Judgment no. 1 of 1956 as a Founding Moment in Italian Constitutionalism

Constitutional Democracy in Crisis
Chair: Eugene Mazo (Duquesne University)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Yoav Dotan (Hebrew University), Democracy, Populism and Disqualification Procedure: Can Courts Save Democracy by Disqualifying Populist Candidates?
    2. Mohammad Khalilzadeh (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Minoritarian Judges and Constitutional Backsliding
    3. Max Steuer (Comenius University and O.P. Jindal Global University) and Darina Malová (Comenius University), Illiberalization and the Resilience of Slovakia’s Flexible Written Constitution
    4. Tracy Lightcap (LaGrange College), Informal Institutions and Illiberal Democracy: The Case of Hungary

Freedom of Speech and Democracy
Chair: Rafael Jerez Moreno (HCH Digital Media)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Roman Zinigrad (The American University of Paris), Laughing Matters in Courts: Humor and the Normalization of Hate Speech
    2. Joanna Uliasz (Rzeszów University), Freedom of Speech in Poland: Equality or Selective Application?
    3. Octavio Sampaio de Moura Azevedo (Universidade de São Paulo), Freedom of Expression and the Judicial Profession: Understanding the Many Dimensions of the Speech of Judges
    4. Thomas Keck (Syracuse University), Free Speech in an Age of Democratic Backsliding
    5. Wei-An Tsai (Harvard University), Justifications for Excluding Foreign Speech in the Age of Disinformation and Propaganda – The Case of Taiwan

Friday, March 21, 2025

8:30am
Concurrent Sessions V

Electoral Abstentionism as Democratic Degradation: Problems and Challenges
Chair: Francesco Clementi (University La Sapienza of Rome)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Daniela Marella (University La Sapienza of Rome), Non-Voters Come First: Abstentionism in Comparative Perspective
    2. Carla Bassu (University of Sassari), Electoral Abstentionism as Democratic Degradation
    3. Francesco Clementi (University La Sapienza of Rome), Not Out of Love but Out of Duty: Healing Abstentionism to Heal Democracy
    4. Enrico Campelli (Lumsa University), Excluded by Age: Understanding Youth Abstention in Democratic Processes

Courts and Constitutionalism: Challenges and Promises
Chair: Paulina Jabłońska (Jagiellonian University in Kraków)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Eduardo Dargent (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), Withering of the Constitutional State? Determinants of the Loss of Authority of the Constitutional Tribunal and the Interamerican Court of Human Rights in Peru
    2. Paulina Jabłońska (Jagiellonian University), Constitutional Courts Are Like Proofreaders
    3. Irũngũ Houghton (Amnesty International Kenya), Strategic Litigation to Protecting Protesters and Upholding Constitutionalism in Kenya
    4. André Freire Azevedo (Office of the Legislative Counsel – Chamber of Deputies – Brazilian National Congress), Can Public Officials Praise a Coup d’État? Insights into Judicial Oversight of Military Autonomy

Constitutional Law and Politics in Context
Chair: Ivan Sammut (University of Malta)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Roshan Pokharel (Constitutional Lawyers Forum, Nepal), The Transformation of the Nepalese Constitution from a Hindu Monarchy to a Federal Republic
    2. Teferi Hailemichael Hassen (University of New England, Australia), Constitutionalism in Multicultural State of Ethiopia
    3. Stefanus Hendrianto (Creighton University), Searching for the Legal Philosophy of Common Good: On the Future of Originalism and Natural Law in the Post Dobbs Era
    4. Yung-Djong Shaw (Academia Sinica), The Interstate Civil Space within a Federation

Comparative Constitutional Studies in a Globalized World
Chair: Maria Kotsoni (Princeton University)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Bruno Cunha (Federal University of Pernambuco), The Brazilian Supreme Court and U.S. Precedents: A Transnational Judicial Dialogue
    2. Haruki Kadotani (Keio University), Anti-Monopoly and Constitutional Law in Japan: Toward a Framework of Global Constitutions
    3. Patrick Casey Lesiure (Masaryk University), Judicial Overstay: Meddling with the Tail End of Judicial Career

Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law
Chair: Gal Forer (UC Berkeley and Harvard University)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Paula Ahumada (Universidad de Chile), Constitutionalizing Technique: The Legitimacy of Central Banking Regulation in Chile
    2. Joseph Bugeja (University of Malta), Malta’s Constitutional Law on Public Finance
    3. Andrea Katz (Washington University in St. Louis) and Ofra Bloch (Tel Aviv University), Judicial Review of Administrative Action in the U.S. and Israel: A Contextual Approach
    4. Joanna Kielin – Maziarz (Kozminski University), Was There a Need to Include the Rule of Law as One of the Goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?

The Judicialization of Politics
Chair: Larissa de Mello Beckman (University of Minnesota)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Larissa de Mello Beckman (University of Minnesota), Comparative Analysis of Supreme Court Confirmation Processes: Insights from Brazil and the United States
    2. Alban Krasniqi (Kosovo Bar Association), Judicialization of Politics in Power Conflicts and the Risk of Politicization of the Judiciary in Emerging Democracies: The Case of Kosovo
    3. Pegah Banihashemi (University of Chicago), Constitutional Institutions – A Judiciary to Undermine the Rule of Law in Iran

Friday, March 21, 2025

10:15am
Concurrent Sessions VI

Constitutional Adjudication of Sports Disputes in Latin America (Adjudicacion constitucional de disputas deportivas en America Latina)
Chair: Ariel Dulitzky (The University of Texas at Austin)
Location: TNH. 2.137

This panel will be held in Spanish with simultaneous translation into English.

    1. Gloria Ortiz Delgado (Constitutional Court of Colombia), The Constitutional Rights in Colombian Sports (Los derechos constitucionales en el deporte colombiano)
    2. Cesar Landa Arroyo (Constitutional Tribunal of Peru), The Constitutional Protection of Sports in Peru: The Case of Football (soccer) (La protección constitucional del deporte en el Perú: el caso del fútbol)
    3. Ramiro Avila Santamaria (Constitutional Tribunal of Ecuador), Is it Possible to Play Football with Constitutional Protection of Labor Rights? The Asymmetries between FIFA and Constitutional Law. (¿Es posible jugar al fútbol con protección constitucional a los derechos laborales? Las asimetrías entre la FIFA y. el derecho constitucional)
    4. Ariel Dulitzky (The University of Texas at Austin), Latin American Constitutional Approaches to Sports and Human Rights (Aproximaciones constitucionales latinoamericanas a deportes y derechos humanos)

Judicial Bricolage I: The Use of Foreign Precedents in Constitutional Interpretation in Common Law Jurisdictions
Chair: Francesco Viganó (Constitutional Court of Italy)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Irene Spigno (Academia Interamericana de Derechos Humanos), The Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges in the 21st Century: Context and Methodology
    2. Nicoletta Perlo (University of Burgundy), The Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges in Kenya
    3. Cristina Fasone (LUISS Guido Carli), The Use of Foreign Precedents in the Irish Supreme Court’s Constitutional Case Law: An Update on the Decade 2011-2020
    4. Rachele Bizzari (University of Siena), United States of America: Confirming the Supreme Court’s Cautious Approach in the Use of Foreign Precedents in the 2011-2021 Decade
    5. Antonin Vergnes (University of Bordeaux), The Use of Foreign Precedents in India
    6. Discussant: Yaniv Roznai (Reichman University)

Ten Years After Entry into Force of the Istanbul Convention: Domestic Constitutional Courts Approach – Between Liberalism, Conservatism, and Illiberalism
Chair: Agnieszka Bień-Kacała (University of Szczecin)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Jolita Miliuvienė (Mykolas Romeris University), Constitutional Point of View on Istanbul Convention from Lithuania and Latvia
    2. Marieta Safta (Titu Maiorescu University), Moldavian Constitutional Court on the Istanbul Convention – Guidelines from the Venice Commission
    3. Agnieszka Bień-Kacała (University of Szczecin), Latvian and Bulgarian Constitutional Courts on Istanbul Convention – Two Opposite Views in One Region

Unique Provisions in Pacific Island Constitutions
Chair: Jennifer Corrin (The University of Queensland)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Jennifer Corrin (The University of Queensland), Unique Provisions in the Constitution of Solomon Islands
    2. Vito Breda (University of Southern Queensland), The Constitution for a French New Caledonia or a New Constitution for France
    3. Mele Tupou Vaitohi (Victoria University of Wellington), Unique Provisions in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Tonga
    4. Unaisi Narawa (Waikato University), Constitutional Change in Fiji

Law and Religion
Chair: Mohamed Arafa (Alexandria University and Cornell University)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Chagai Schlesinger (Hebrew University), The Disestablishing Counter-Narrative of Church Autonomy
    2. Ratu Nafisah (National University of Singapore), Judging and Social Cohesion: The Indonesian Interfaith Marriage Case
    3. Lutforahman Saeed (BYU), Constitutionalism in Islam: A Historical Perspective
    4. Mohamed Arafa (Alexandria University and Cornell Law School), Islamic Constitutionalism: Not Liberal, Not Religious, and Not Impossible

Systems of Government and Forms of State
Chair: Laurence Claus (University of San Diego)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. David Froomkin (University of Houston), Presidency Exceptionalism
    2. Larissa Whittingham (Boston College), The American Executive – A Global Lens of Presidential Immunity in the USA
    3. Eric Alston (University of Colorado, Boulder), Demand for Constitutional Decentralization
    4. Kushagr Bakshi (University of Michigan), The Country Without a Post Office: Jammu & Kashmir and Imaginations of Freedom within a Federation
    5. Jan Smoleński (University of Warsaw), The Federal Compact, Displacement of the Inside/Outside Distinction, and Scales of Internalization

Friday, March 21, 2025

2:15pm
Concurrent Sessions VII

Featured Panel | Advice for Early-Career Scholars
Co-Chairs: Hui-Wen Chen (University of Warwick) and Yaniv Roznai (Reichman University)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Lorenza Violini (Università degli Studi di Milano Statale)
    2. David Kenny (Trinity College Dublin)

Book Launch: “American Fever: Selecting Supreme Court Justices” by Julien Jeanneney
Chair: Eleonora Bottini (University of Caen Normandy)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Julien Jeanneney (University of Strasbourg)
    2. Nicoletta Perlo (University of Burgundy)
    3. Antonia Baraggia (University of Milan Statale)
    4. Tania Groppi (University of Siena)
    5. Eleonora Bottini (University of Caen Normandy)

From Crisis to Resilience: Constitutional Responses, Militant Democracy, and Citizen Engagement in Europe
Chair: Izolda Bokszczanin (University of Warsaw)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Izolda Bokszczanin (University of Warsaw), Militant Democracy in Europe: Constitutional Tools and the Role of Citizens in Protecting Democratic Integrity
    2. Jacek Wojnicki (University of Warsaw), Consolidation of Liberal Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe: Determinants and Constraints
    3. Małgorzata Lorencka (University of Silesia), The Role and Importance of the Venice Commission in Shaping European Electoral Law Standards

Authoritarian Constitutionalism
Chair: Bertil Emrah Oder (Koc University)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Simon Abdala (Univerisidad del Desarrollo), Abusively Constitutionalist: A Critique of David Landau’s Abusive Constitutionalism and the Role of the Military in Constitutional Changes
    2. Mishu Barua (Port City International University), Coup d’Etat and Autocracy: An Assessment and Evolution in the Present Format of Democracy
    3. Salvador Sánchez González (Instituto de Estudios Democráticos del Tribunal Electoral, Panama), The Paradoxical Persistence of Constitutions of Authoritarian Regimes: The Panamanian Constitution of 1972
    4. Alexandru Tanase (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH), Manipulating Democracy: The Use of Plebiscites to Legitimize Authoritarian Rule

Judicial Roles in Building Social Cohesion Amid Division
Chair: Ashley Moran (University of Texas at Austin)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Remzije Istrefi-Peci (Constitutional Court of Kosovo), The Role of Constitutional Courts in Safeguarding and Promoting Community Rights: The Case of Kosovo
    2. Ashley Moran (University of Texas at Austin), Court Elaboration of Contested Individual and Group Rights in Iraq
    3. Sebastián Salazar (Universidad Alberto Hurtado), There and Back Again: Challenging the Chilean Constitutional Court’s Preventive Constitutional Review

Rights and Freedoms
Chair: Nancy Eunice Alas Moreno (Sophia University)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Jolita Miliuviene (Mykolas Romeris University), Balancing Boundaries: Academic Freedom vs Constitutional Rights in the Classroom
    2. Betzabé Araya Peschke (Universidad de Castilla La Mancha), False Conscientious Objection and Obstruction of Services: Reflections and Proposals on the Abortion Law in Chile
    3. Yanira Reyes-Gil (Inter American University of Puerto Rico), Imagining a Feminist Constitutional Reform for Puerto Rico
    4. Miki Kadota (Kyoto University), The Freedom of Assembly and “The Right to Place”: From Comparative Constitutional Analysis

Friday, March 21, 2025

5:30pm
Concurrent Sessions VIII

Judicial Bricolage II: The Use of Foreign Precedents in Constitutional Interpretation in Civil Law Jurisdictions
Chair: Giuseppe Martinico (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Tania Groppi (University of Siena), The Use of Foreign Precedents by Civil Law Countries in the XXI Century
    2. Malkhaz Nakashidze (Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University), The Use of Foreign Precedents by the Constitutional Court of Georgia
    3. Fabian Duessel (Constitutional Court of Korea), The Use of Foreign Precedents by the Constitutional Court of Korea
    4. Manuellita Hermes (University of Brasilia), The Use of Foreign Precedents by the Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal
    5. Discussant: Francesco Viganó (Constitutional Court of Italy)
    6. Discussant: Irene Spigno (Academia Interamericana de Derechos Humanos)

Unwritten Norms within Written Constitutional Frameworks
Chair: Piotr Mikuli (Jagiellonian University)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Brian Christopher Jones (University of Liverpool), The Mentality of Written and Unwritten Constitutionalism
    2. Piotr Mikuli (Jagiellonian University), Efficacy of Unwritten Constitutional Norms in the Context of Rule of Law Crisis
    3. Natalie Fox (Jagiellonian University), The Role of Custom in Parliamentary Practice as a Determinant of Legal Rules in Codified Constitutions
    4. Lukasz Jakubiak (Jagiellonian University), Constitutional Conventions as a Factor Determining the Structure and Functioning of Semi-Presidential Systems in the Countries with Codified Constitutions

Separation of Powers
Chair: Bell Yosef (Tachlith)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Laurence Claus (University of San Diego), The Law of Constitutional Capture
    2. Jason Maloy (University of Louisiana at Lafayette), The Conjuring of the Judicial Branch: A New History of the Separation of Powers
    3. Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang (Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University), Independence Captured: The Fourth Branch of Power under Illiberal Pressure in Thailand
    4. Hernán Gómez Yuri (Yale University) and Fernando Loayza Jordán (Yale University and Drexel Kline School of Law), Fourth Branch and Political Opposition

Judicial Review of Constitutional Amendments: A Comparative Perspective
Chair: Marieta Safta (Titu Maiorescu University)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Jairo Lima (State University of Northern Parana), Comparing Constitutional Amendments and Judicial Review in Charge of Protecting Democracy and Human Rights
    2. Mohammad Abu Sayeed (UNSW), How to Do Basic Structure Review
    3. Antonin Vergnes (Université de Bordeaux), Learning from the Margins: India, France and the Limits on Constitutional Amendments
    4. Vicente F. Benítez-R. (Universidad de La Sabana), Beyond the Illusion: Examining the Colombian Constitutional Court’s Judicial Review of Amendments

Human Rights and Vulnerability
Chair: Paz Avila (The University of Texas at Austin)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Claire Charters (University of Auckland), Constitutional Transformation and Indigenous Peoples: A Comparative Global Analysis
    2. Nancy Eunice Alas Moreno (Sophia University), From Habeas Corpus to Habeas SNS: Resorting to the Criticism of Users of Social Network Services in Countries with a Weakened Justice System: The Case of El Salvador
    3. Juliano Benvindo (University of Brasília), Inequality, Economic Growth and Democratic Stability: A Comparative Analysis of Brazil and the United States
    4. Lima Aktar (Australian Catholic University), Constitutionalization of Social Rights: Revisiting the Indivisibility Debate

Courts and Democratic Backsliding
Chair: Tracy Lightcap (LaGrange College)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Ori Aronson (Bar-Ilan University), Court(s) to the Rescue
    2. José Mario de la Garza Martins (Escuela Libre de Derecho), The Supreme Court of Justice in the Face of an Abusive Constitutionalism Project: The Case of the Judicial Reform in Mexico
    3. Bertil Emrah Oder (Koc University), Judicial Resistance in Non-Democracies: Turkish Constitutional Court as a Case Study
    4. Max Steuer (Comenius University and O.P. Jindal Global University), Constitutional Court Resilience vis-à-vis Autocratization: Withering Judicial Agency in Scholarly Discourses?

Saturday, March 22, 2025

8:30am
Concurrent Sessions IX

Constitutionalism and Democracy: Insights from the Global South
Chair: Claudia Heiss (Universidad de Chile Institute of Public Affairs)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Dolunay Bulut (University of Arizona), Constitution as an Authoritarian Commodity: The Case of Turkey
    2. Milton César Jiménez Ramírez (Universidad de Caldas), Weak Procedural Constitutionalism: The Judicial Process as Legitimacy of Judicial Review
    3. Gonzalo Ramírez Cleves (University Externado de Colombia), The Proposal for a Constituent Assembly in Colombia and the Reconstruction of the Concept of Constituent Power

Constitutionalism in the Digital Age
Chair: Gianmario Demuro (University of Cagliari)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Gustavo Buss (Federal University of Paraná), Constitutional Theory in the Digital Age
    2. YouHao Lai (George Washington University), Understanding Digital Authoritarianism
    3. Joana Machado (Federal University of Juiz de Fora), Digital Constitutionalism: The Judiciary’s Role in Safeguarding Fundamental Rights
    4. Ryszard Piotrowski (Warsaw University), Democracy and Human Rights in an Algorithmic Society
    5. Konrad Rydel (University of Warsaw), Big Brother in Your Wallet? The Privacy Risks of Central Bank Digital Currency

Litigation and Access to Justice
Chair: Salvador Sánchez González (Instituto de Estudios Democráticos, Panama)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Marta Aurino (Sciences Po Bordeaux and Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II), Towards a Multidimensional Conceptualization of Access to Constitutional Justice on a Global Scale
    2. Ander Maglica (University of Milan), Collective Redress and Access to Justice in the European Multilevel Constitutional Framework: New Forms of Public Interest Litigation
    3. Chiara Padrin (University of Milan), Bridging Law and Science: The Role of Scientific Data in Climate Change Litigation
    4. Rachele Bizzari (University of Siena), Promoting Climate Justice: The Role of Amici Curiae in Regional Human Rights Courts

Book Launch: Francesco Biagi, “Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring. A Comparative Perspective” (Cambridge University Press 2025)
Chair: Antonia Baraggia (University of Milan)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Kim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University)
    2. Christina Murray (University of Cape Town)
    3. Tania Groppi (University of Siena)
    4. Zaid Al-Ali (International IDEA)
    5. Francesco Biagi (University of Bologna)

Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law
Chair: Ming-Sung Kuo (University of Warwick)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Fartash Tariq (Lahore University of Management Sciences), The Tainted Bench: The Illusion of Justice in Pakistan
    2. Yusuf Sulayman (University of Portsmouth), Identity Judgment: Testing the Limits of the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s Independence
    3. Shih-An Wang (Kobe University), National Security and Judicial Self-Empowerment in New Democracies
    4. Luz Balaj (University of Prishtina), The Failure of Constitutional Court to Protect the Hierarchy of Constitutional Norms

The Right to Peaceful Assembly before Courts: Acts of Sedition, Abuse of Freedom of Expression, and Hate Speech
Chair: Anna Tarnowska (Nicolaus Copernicus University)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Agnieszka Bień-Kacała (University of Szczecin), From Securing Opposing Opinions to Securing the Ruling Majority Views: The Shift of the CT’s Jurisprudence on Freedom of Assembly – Part 1
    2. Wojciech Włoch (Nicolaus Copernicus University), From Securing Opposing Opinions to Securing the Ruling Majority Views: The Shift of the CT’s Jurisprudence on Freedom of Assembly – Part 2
    3. Miki Kadota (University of Kyoto), The Constitutional Control on the Police Costs on the Exercise of the Freedom of Assembly
    4. Tomasz Kucharski (Nicolaus Copernicus University), In Words and Deeds: Premises for the Dissolution of Assemblies in the 20th Century Polish Law – Part 1
    5. Michał Gałędek (University of Gdańsk), In Words and Deeds: Premises for the Dissolution of Assemblies in the 20th Century Polish Law– Part 2

Saturday, March 22, 2025

10:15am
Concurrent Sessions X

Featured Panel | Courts in Constitutional Democracies
Chair: Cristina Fasone (LUISS Guido Carli)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Luís Roberto Barroso, President, Supreme Court of Brazil
    2. Mirosław Granat, former Judge, Constitutional Court of Poland
    3. Remzije Istrefi-Peci, Judge, Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo
    4. Elena-Simina Tanasescu, Judge, Constitutional Court of Romania
    5. Alexandru Tănase, former President, Constitutional Court of the Republic Moldova
    6. Francesco Viganó, Judge, Constitutional Court of Italy

Sexuality, Gender, and the Law
Chair: Ilise Feitshans (Georgetown University)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Lucie Vodvarkova (Masaryk University, Brno), The Role of Gender in Selection of Judges of Constitutional Courts: The Case of Czechia, Germany, and Austria
    2. Hsiao-wei Kuan (National Taipei University), Assessing Gender Disparity: The Ambivalence of Taiwan’s Constitutional Court in Recognizing Indirect Gender Discrimination
    3. Ilise Feitshans (Georgetown University), No Mom Left Behind: Maternal Mortality in the USA and the Federal Constitutional Right to Health
    4. Joana Machado (Federal University of Juiz de Fora), Gender-Based Political Violence and Platforms: Rethinking Constitutionalism in the Digital Age

Constitutional Law between Global and Local
Chair: Bruno Cunha (Federal University of Pernambuco)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Andrea De Petris (Università degli Studi Internazionali), Delocalising Human Rights? The Battle Between National and European Courts and Member State Governments for the Defence of the Legal Values of the European Union
    2. Jeronimo Lau Alberdi (Universidad Austral and University of Virginia), Courts Without Borders: Judicial Dialogue and Judicial Comparativism in Latin America
    3. Mateo Merchán Duque (NYU), Are International Human Rights Courts Democratic Actors?
    4. Malkhaz Nakashidze (Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University), Legal and Political Challenges of Georgia’s EU Accession Process

Contemporary Challenges in Constitutional Justice
Chair: Mark Graber (University of Maryland)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu (Academia Sinica), Does Culture Matter? The Politics of Human Rights in Taiwan Constitutional Court’s 2024 Death Penalty Retention Decision
    2. Richard Markovitz (The University of Texas at Austin), Why the U.S., the E.U., Germany, and France are Constitutionally Committed to Instantiating the Liberal Conception of Justice and the Implications of this Conclusion for Valid Legal Argument, the Existence of Uniquely-Correct Answers to Legal-Rights Questions, and the Attainability of the Rule of Law in Those Political Entities
    3. James May (Washburn University), Dignity Rights in America
    4. Ilya Somin (George Mason University), Immigration is Not Invasion

Book Launch: The Future of the Maltese Constitution
Chair: Bell Yosef (Tachlith)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. John Stanton (City St George’s, University of London)
    2. Tonio Borg (University of Malta)
    3. Ivan Sammut (University of Malta)
  1. (Re)Thinking Collaboration in Constitutional Law Between Non-Indigenous Lawyers and Indigenous Legal Actors from the Global South: Water and Indigenous Epistemologies in Colombia
    Chair: Cesar Ramirez Salazar (University of Illinois)
    Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Misael Tirado Acero (Universidad Militar Nueva Granada) and Dodoringumu Miguel Angel Chaparro Izquierdo (Pueblo Arhuaco Sierra, Nevada de Santa Marta), Indigenous Governance From the Territories and All that it Encompasses: Water
    2. Giovanny Monroy Quecán (Pueblo Muysca Fonqueta), Water, Land, and Habitat Between Two Worlds: Indigenous Peoples in Colombia and Western Conceptions
    3. Cesar Ramirez Salazar (University of Illinois), The River Speaks: Colombian Constitutional Court’s Granting of Rights to the Río Atrato

Saturday, March 22, 2025

12:00pm
Concurrent Sessions XI

Retrogressive Constitutional Dismemberments: The Case of Mexico’s Judicial Reform
Chair: Jaime Olaiz-Gonzalez (Universidad Panamericana)
Location: TNH 2.137

    1. Gonzalo Bolio (University of Chicago), Institution Building in Mexico: The Judicial Reform of 1994 and Electoral Reform of 1995
    2. Sebastian Inchaustegui (Columbia University), The Mexican Constitutional Reform of 2011: A Glimmer of Constitutional Progress at Peril
    3. Jaime Olaiz-Gonzalez (Universidad Panamericana), Retrogressive Dismemberments: The Case of the Judicial Reform of 2024
    4. José Mario de la Garza (Universidad Panamericana), Preserving the Basic Structure: The SCJN’s Critical Role in Defending Mexico’s Constitutional Democracy

Constitutional Amendments and Fundamental Rights: The Perspective of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia
Chair: Lorenza Violini (University of Milan)
Location: TNH 2.138

    1. Eleonora Bottini (University of Caen Normandy), The Mongolian Constitutional Court Seen from Outside
    2. Gangabaatar Dashbalbar (Constitutional Court of Mongolia), Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments: A Mongolian Discourse
    3. Uyanga Myagmar (National University of Mongolia), Constitutional Protection of Human Rights in Mongolia
    4. Munkhsaikhan Odonkhuu (Constitutional Court of Mongolia), The Principle of Proportionality in Mongolian Constitutional Law from a Comparative Perspective
    5. Discussant: Nicoletta Perlo (University of Burgundy)

Constitutional Norms and Judicial Practices
Chair: Ming-Sung Kuo (University of Warwick)
Location: TNH 2.139

    1. Charlie Buck (University of Toronto), The Desuetude of the Federal Notwithstanding Clause: An Empirical Investigation
    2. Lotte Mariken van den Bosch (Leiden University) and Gert Jan Geertjes (Leiden University), The Scope of Constitutional Conventions: Norms Versus Principles
    3. Andrés Fernando Mejía Restrepo (Universidad Libre – Pereira), Assessing Judicial Reasoning in the Constitutional Court of Colombia
    4. Keigo Obayashi (Keio University), Judiciary as Factfinder: History Hunter Model and History Observer Model

Legitimacy and the Constitution
Chair: Yen-Tu Su (Academia Sinica)
Location: TNH 2.140

    1. Yuval Erez (Yale University), Supermajority in Constitutional and Supreme Courts: An Old Promise or a New Threat?
    2. Paz Avila (The University of Texas at Austin), Constitutional Legitimacy in a Land of Constitutional Change
    3. Abdou Khadre Diop (Université Cheikh Hamidou Kane), Eternity Clauses in Francophone African Countries: A Case Study
    4. Eugene Mazo (Duquesne University), Constitutions and Corruption

Constitutionalism and Constitutional Design
Chair: Fabian Duessel (Constitutional Court of Korea)
Location: TNH 2.123

    1. Luis Botello-Moncada (Universidad Externado de Colombia), Constitutional Plasticity: Breaking Free Constitutional Boundaries to Safeguard People’s Lives
    2. Mark Graber (University of Maryland), Making the Thirteenth Amendment’s Constitution Work
    3. Md Ahsan Habib (Bangladesh Judicial Service), The Separation of Judiciary from the Executive: A Landmark Constitutional Reform Towards Judicial Independence and Accountability in Bangladesh
    4. Hassan Hussein (Soran University), Constitution Without Constitutionalism: Challenges of Constitutional Governance in Iraq

Checks and Balances
Chair: Larissa Whittingham (Boston College)
Location: TNH 2.124

    1. Ryan Martínez Mitchell (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Constitutional Change Amidst Geoeconomic Conflict: China’s Construction of a Foreign Policy Executive
    2. Molefhi Phorego (Nelson Mandela University), The Impact of Informal Cohabitation in South Africa on Presidential Accountability to Parliament
    3. Bell Yosef (Tachlith), Effective Oversight as Parliamentary Resilience
    4. Mikolaj Wolanin (University of Warsaw), Resolution or Statute? What is a Better Form for the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure?