Law Review Symposium on Founding Ideals in Constitutional Practice: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Founding Ideals in Constitutional Practice:
The Declaration of Independence's 250-Year Legal Journey

Join the Northern Kentucky Law Review for a one-day symposium exploring how the principles of the Declaration of Independence have shaped American law and constitutional interpretation. Through expert panels featuring leading scholars, judges, and legislators, the program examines the Declaration’s historical foundations, its influence on modern constitutional practice, and its continued role in shaping public law and governance. The event also includes a keynote luncheon presentation and judicial perspectives from the bench, offering attorneys a unique opportunity to engage with the ideas that continue to influence American legal thought.

Registration

DATE
Friday, April 3, 2026

TIME
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

LOCATION
James C. and Rachel M. Votruba Student Union Ballroom
at Northern Kentucky University

CLE
5.0 general CLE hours approved in OH and KY

COST
$50 NKU Alumni
$65 General Public
$0 faculty, staff and students

Register Here

Symposium Committee

Symposium Faculty and Staff

Kenneth Katkin
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

Jeannine Abukhater Lambert
Executive Director of Centers & Programming
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

Ivory Faeth
Events Specialist
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

Northern Kentucky Law Review

Jacob Williams
Editor-in-Chief

Sidonie Mangeot
Executive Editor

Garrett Flynn
Symposium Editor

Agenda

Welcome Remarks

9:00-9:15 a.m.

Judith Daar
Dean and Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

Kenneth Katkin
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

Jacob Williams
Editor-in-Chief
Northern Kentucky Law Review

Sidonie Mangeot
Executive Editor
Northern Kentucky Law Review

Garrett Flynn
Symposium Editor
Northern Kentucky Law Review

Panel I - Foundations of Liberty: The Declaration’s Role
in Shaping American Common Law

9:15-10:15 a.m.

Stuart Ford
Professor of Law
University of Illinois Chicago
Bio

Christopher D. Geisel
Clerkship with New York State
Appellate Division
Bio

Donald Kazee
Associate Professor of Legal Writing
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

MODERATOR

Michael J.Z. Mannheimer
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
Bio

Panel II - Promises Deferred: The Declaration’s Ideals and
the Limits of Constitutional Translation

10:30-11:30 a.m.

Michael Baranowski
Emeritus Professor of Political Science
Northern Kentucky University
BIO

Thomas Berry
Director
Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies
Bio

David Childs
Associate Professor of Social Studies and History
Director of Black Studies
Northern Kentucky University
BIO

MODERATOR

John Bickers
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
Bio

Luncheon

11:30-12:15 p.m.

Luncheon Presentation — The Declaration at 250 and the
Supreme Court

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Kermit Roosevelt
David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
BIO

Jacob Williams
Editor-in-Chief
Northern Kentucky Law Review
NKU Chase College of Law

Panel III - From the Bench: Judicial Perspectives on the
Declaration and Constitutional Practice

1:00-2:00 p.m.

Deputy Chief Justice Robert B. Conley
Kentucky Supreme Court
BIO

Justice Michelle Keller
Kentucky Supreme Court
BIO

Justice Christopher Shea Nickell
Kentucky Supreme Court
BIO

Hon. Ginger Bock
Ohio First District Court of Appeals
BIO

Hon. Jennifer Kinsley
Ohio First District
Court of Appeals
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

MODERATOR
Alex Kreit
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law

Bio

Scholarship Showcase — The Next Generation of
Constitutional Scholarship

2:00-2:45 p.m.

Pamela Bell
Associate Editor
Northern Kentucky Law Review

Hannah Burt
Associate Editor
Northern Kentucky Law Review

Natalie Miller
Associate Editor
Northern Kentucky Law Review

Panel IV - The Declaration in the Legislature: Founding
Ideals and the Modern Lawmaker

3:00-4:00 p.m.

Congressman Joe Cunningham
Former U.S. Congressman
U.S. House of Representatives
Joe Cunningham Law
BIO

Rep. Stephanie Dietz
Kentucky House of Representatives 65th District
Dietz Family Law
BIO

Rep. T.J. Roberts
Kentucky House of Representatives 66th District
BIO

Rep. Pamela Stevenson
Kentucky House of Representatives 43rd District
Minority Floor Leader
BIO

MODERATOR

Ken Katkin
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
Bio

Closing Remarks

4:00 p.m.

Jacob Williams
Editor-in-Chief
Northern Kentucky Law Review

Kenneth Katkin
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
BIO

Northern Kentucky Law Review Spring Symposium

Founding Ideals in Constitutional Practice: The Declaration of Independence's 250-Year Legal Journey

Registration

Symposium Committee

Agenda

Welcome Remarks

9:00-9:15 a.m.

Panel I - Foundations of Liberty: The Declaration’s Role in Shaping American Common Law

9:15-10:15 a.m.

Panel II - Promises Deferred: The Declaration’s Ideals and the Limits of Constitutional Translation

10:30-11:30 a.m.

Luncheon

11:30-12:15 p.m.

Luncheon Presentation — The Declaration at 250 and the Supreme Court

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Panel III - From the Bench: Judicial Perspectives on the Declaration and Constitutional Practice

1:00-2:00 p.m.

Scholarship Showcase — The Next Generation of Constitutional Scholarship

2:00-2:45 p.m.

Panel IV - The Declaration in the Legislature: Founding Ideals and the Modern Lawmaker

3:00-4:00 p.m.

Closing Remarks

4:00 p.m.

Founding Ideals in Constitutional Practice:
The Declaration of Independence's 250-Year Legal Journey

Panel I - Foundations of Liberty: The Declaration’s Role
in Shaping American Common Law

Panel II - Promises Deferred: The Declaration’s Ideals and
the Limits of Constitutional Translation

Luncheon Presentation — The Declaration at 250 and the
Supreme Court

Panel III - From the Bench: Judicial Perspectives on the
Declaration and Constitutional Practice

Scholarship Showcase — The Next Generation of
Constitutional Scholarship

Panel IV - The Declaration in the Legislature: Founding
Ideals and the Modern Lawmaker