Originalism Summer Seminar

The Georgetown Center for the Constitution will offer a week-long “Boot Camp” on originalism in theory and practice, open to students and recent graduates (within 5 years) from all law schools.

The seminar takes place each May and begins with an opening reception followed by academic sessions taking place each day of the week. Students who successfully complete the Originalism Summer Seminar will receive a $1,000 honorarium.

Applications for the 2024 Originalism Summer Seminar have now closed.
Applications for the 2025 Originalism Summer Seminar will open this winter.

Requirements

  • Current law students who will have completed their first year of law school by the start of the program or recent graduates (within 5 years); PhD candidates are also eligible
  • Interest in a judicial clerkship is not required but is preferred

Honorarium

Accepted applicants will receive a $1,000 honorarium for their participation in the Summer Seminar. Participants must attend all sessions to receive the honorarium.

Learn About the Seminar

2024 Summer Seminar Highlights

  • Meeting with Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: Neil Gorsuch
  • Originalism Summer Seminar Alumni Panel
  • Originalism Applied: Research Project  with Professor Mark Moller
  • Debate: The Positivist Case For and Against Originalism
    (Professors Stephen Sachs and Sherif Girgis)
  • Corpus Linguistics Exercise with James Halpern
  • Debate: Common Good Constitutionalism versus Natural Law Originalism (Professors J. Joel Alicea and Connor Casey)
  • Practitioner Panel: Erin Murphy, Deepak Gupta, and Robert McNamara

Summer Seminar Lecture Topics

  • Overview of Originalist Theory (Professor Lawrence Solum)
  • Normative Rationales For Originalism (Professor Randy Barnett)
  • Responses to Progressive Criticisms of Originalism (Professors Solum and Barnett)
  • Public Meaning Originalism (Professor Solum)
  • Original Methods Originalism (Professor Mike Rappaport)
  • Framework Originalism (Professor Jack Balkin)
  • How to Choose a Theory of Constitutional Interpretation (Professor Cass Sunstein)
  • Demonstrably Erroneous Precedent (Professors Solum and Barnett)
  • How to do Originalist Research (Professor Jud Campbell)
  • Applying Corpus Linguistics: The Original Meaning and the Establishment Clause (Professor Stephanie Barclay)
  • Liquidation (Professor Will Baude)