Deputy Dean of Chicago Law – Tom Ginsburg – Discusses the U.S. Constitution in Comparative Perspective at Latest Dialogue

On Monday, February 2, 2015, Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law welcomed
Tom Ginsburg
, Deputy Dean, Leo Spitz Professor of International Law, Ludwig and Hilde Wolf Research Scholar, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago Law School. Dean Ginsburg presented his talk,
Were the Framers Right about Constitutional Design?
The U.S. Constitution in Comparative Perspective as the featured guest for our
Chapman Dialogue Lecture Series
. The event was moderated by
Ronald D. Rotunda
, Doy and Dee Henley Chair and Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at the Fowler School of Law.

Dean Ginsburg’s talk focused on historical data and empirical analysis evaluating the Framers’ design as compared to other constitutional governance choices by nations around the world and across time – especially related to the issues of war powers, presidentialism over parliamentarism, term limits, and the amendment process.  He stressed that there may be much to learn from experience that could make the Framers – if they were presented with constitution building today – make different design choices than those embodied in our present U.S. Constitution.

“Dean Ginsburg’s interdisciplinary approach and empirical research presented a fresh look at old constitutional design through the lens of more than 200 years of drafting experience and choices made by other governments.  This enlightening perspective provoked the type of useful questioning about institutional design that anyone studying constitutional law should confront before resting on a defense of any particular design choice.  We at Fowler Law are very fortunate that Dean Ginsburg shared his unique research and expertise with us.  And, we are grateful for the valuable lesson he provided on the utility of empirical methods for the comprehensive analysis of the law.”       – Donald J. Kochan, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, Fowler School of Law

From left to right: Fowler Law Professor Ronald Rotunda, University of Chicago Law School Deputy Dean Tom Ginsburg, Fowler Law Dean Tom Campbell, and Fowler Law Associate Dean Donald Kochan