More on the AALS Annual Meeting

A few days ago I posted on some interesting programs scheduled for the AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans in January. I overlooked the most interesting programs, not knowing that MOJ's own Rick Garnett (now lotus-eating in the Rockies) had a hand in organizing them for the Law and Religion Section.  They are each panels on the topics that have bulked large on MOJ since its inception. The first program is scheduled for Satuday January 7 at 1:30pm on "The (Re)turn to History in Religion Clause Law and Scholarship," and features an all-star cast of Noah Feldman, Steve Green, Marci Hamilton, Doug Laycock and Steve Smith. On Sunday, January 8, at 9:00 am, the Section will sponsor another distinguished panel discussing "Religion, Division, and the  Constitution," featuring David Campbell, Step Feldman, our Rick, Fred Gedicks and Legal Theory's Larry Solum. Maybe Rick will give us some details when he returns from vacation.

I've also got more details on the program entitled "A Conversation About Abortion," sponsored by the Section on Law and Communitarian Studies on Friday, January 6 at 4:00pm. Turns out that friend-of-MOJ and law and religion scholar Bob Cochrane not only organized the program but is the Chair of that new section. The program revisits the question of whether it is now possible to have a thoughtful, meaningful debate about abortion, something that has long been missing in the public forum (and in the AALS, I should add). Bob has put together an extraordinarily talented and balanced set of panelists: Elizabeth R. Mensch, co-author of "The Politics of Abortion: Is Abortion Debatable?"; Jack Balkin, of Balkinization and editor of "What Roe Should Have Said" (forthcoming 05); and Teresa Collett, who needs no introduction here. A must see, IMHO.

I should also add that plans are afoot for organizing this year's program sponsored by the Law Professors Christian Fellowship and Lumen Christi, to be held concurrent to the AALS in New Orleans. Some will remember last year's program on "Taking Christian Legal Thought Seriously," held in San Francisco. Bob Cochrane, John Breen, John Nagle and yours truly are invioved in the planning. I'll post details once the plans are finalized.

--Mark