As part of this conference, we are soliciting papers for a scholarship workshop expected to take place on September 8, 2026. Junior scholars are especially encouraged to submit papers (and will be paired with a senior scholar to review and discuss their submission). Scholars who are supportive of, and those who are skeptical about, originalist approaches to the Constitution are all highly encouraged to participate.
Participants should plan to have a full draft to circulate by August 1, 2026, and we welcome submissions of both full-length articles (15,000-30,000 words) and shorter essays (5,000-10,000 words). The full-length articles will be gathered and published in a symposium edition of the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law; the shorter essays will be published in a special issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter.
Deadline for proposals:
- Please submit a title and a proposed abstract of no more than 500 words by November 1, 2025. You can submit your proposal using our Qualtrics form.
- Abstracts should note if the author expects to produce an article or essay, and accepted scholars will be notified by December 15, 2025.
- Participants whose paper proposals are accepted will have travel and lodging costs covered up to $1,000 to enable them to engage in the full conference.
By fostering a dynamic dialogue among originalist experts, as well as jurists and scholars who are skeptical about originalist methods, this conference seeks to deepen understanding of the intersection of originalism and criminal justice doctrines as well as modern debates over constitutional criminal law and procedures.