Description:
The American Constitution Society welcomes all papers furthering and promoting a progressive vision of the Constitution, law, and public policy. Entrants are encouraged to view this topic broadly, and we welcome submissions on a variety of substantive areas. Examples of possible topics include: access to the courts, civil liberties, consumer rights, disability rights, freedom of speech, GLBT rights, human rights,
immigration, labor law, money in judicial elections, voting and the political process, privacy, protection of health, safety, the environment, racial equality, religion, second amendment and guns, separation of powers and federalism, and women’s reproductive rights and reproductive freedom. Papers will be judged on their effective use, analysis, and/or expansion of progressive legal scholarship. The judging committee will include federal judges and leading academics. The student authors of the top three papers will receive special recognition at the 2017 ACS National Convention and a cash prize for their work. The top paper will receive an offer of publication in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law.
Criteria:
ligibility: Any full-time or part-time law student currently enrolled in a J.D., LL.M. or S.J.D. program at a United States law school is eligible to participate. Only one entry per student is permitted. Multiple
submissions will result in disqualification. All entrants must be a student member of the national American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. You may join online at www.ACSLaw.org/join .
Content: Papers will be judged on their effective use, analysis, and/or expansion of progressive legal scholarship. Submissions may focus on one specific area of the law, legal theory, or jurisprudence, or may
broadly cover multiple areas or major themes, so long as the submission as a whole relates to the topic. Possible topics include – but are not limited to – access to the courts, civil liberties, consumer rights,
disability rights, freedom of speech, GLBT rights, human rights, immigration, labor law, money in judicial elections, voting and the political process, privacy, protection of health, safety, and the environment, racial equality, religion, second amendment and guns, separation of powers and federalism, and women’s reproductive rights and freedom. Please do not put your name or other identifying information anywhere in your paper; only the submission form should have your name
Application Deadline:
February