NKU Chase College of Law

Northern Kentucky Law Review Spring Symposium

 

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 Faculty And Staff

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Kenneth KatkinProfessor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
 Photo of Kenneth Katkin
Ivory FaethEvents Specialist
NKU Chase College of Law
Photo of Kenneth Katkin
Jeannine Abukhater LambertExecutive Director of Centers & Programming
NKU Chase College of Law
 

Northern Kentucky Law Review

 

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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
 

Kenneth Katkin
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law
 
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Jacob Williams
Editor-in-Chief

 
Sidonie Mangeot
Executive Editor
 
Garrett Flynn
Symposium Editor
 

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

9:15-10:15 a.m.

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Stuart Ford
Professor of Law
University of Illinois Chicago

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Christopher D. Geisel
Clerkship with New York State
Appellate Division

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

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MODERATOR
Alex Kreit
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law

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

10:30-11:30 a.m.

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Michael Baranowski
Emeritus Professor of Political Science
Northern Kentucky University

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

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

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MODERATOR

John Bickers
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law

Luncheon 

11:30-12:15 p.m.

 

Luncheon Presentation — The Declaration at 250 and the
Supreme Court

12:15-12:45 p.m.

 

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

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Jacob Williams
Editor-in-Chief
Northern Kentucky Law Review
 

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

1:00-2:00 p.m.

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Deputy Chief Justice Robert B. Conley
Kentucky Supreme Court

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Justice Michelle Keller
Kentucky Supreme Court

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Justice Christopher Shea Nickell
Kentucky Supreme Court

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Hon. Ginger Bock
Ohio First District Court of Appeals

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

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MODERATOR

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

Scholarship Showcase — The Next Generation of
Constitutional Scholarship

2:00-2:45 p.m.

 

Pamela Bell
Associate Editor
Northern Kentucky Law Review

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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.

 
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Congressman Joe Cunningham
Former U.S. Congressman
U.S. House of Representatives
Joe Cunningham Law
 
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Rep. Stephanie Dietz
Kentucky House of Representatives 65th District
Dietz Family Law
 
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Rep. T.J. Roberts
Kentucky House of Representatives 66th District
 
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Rep. Pamela Stevenson
Kentucky House of Representatives 43rd District
Minority Floor Leader
 
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MODERATOR

Ken Katkin
Professor of Law
NKU Chase College of Law

Closing Remarks

4:00 p.m.

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

 

Salmon P. Chase College of Law

216 Nunn Hall
Highland Heights, KY 41099

(859) 572-5340

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