The New York University Law Review invites papers for its Fall Symposium, Voting and Representation: New Issues and Challenges, to be published in its October 2021 issue, 96 N.Y.U. L. Rev. (No. 4). The Law Review anticipates inviting authors of the papers selected for publication to participate in a virtual Symposium, with limited in-person components subject to public health recommendations, on October 1 and October 8, 2020. The Symposium is presented in conjunction with the Brennan Center for Justice.
This dynamic Symposium will address the urgent issue of who counts and who gets counted in our democracy. In November 2020, Americans will go to the polls in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis – one that has already posed a “stress test” for our democracy, exacerbating structural racism and inequality in our political system and shining a light on weaknesses and vulnerabilities in our institutions. Almost immediately afterward we will turn to a new decennial apportionment and redistricting cycle, where congressional seats will be reallocated among the states and states will draw new congressional and legislative district lines. These milestone events will have vast implications for the distribution of political power within the United States. They occur during a period of hyperpolarization and declining public trust in our institutions and at a moment when on many dimensions, American democracy is under strain. This symposium will examine cutting edge legal and policy issues regarding voting and representation for the decade to come, with an emphasis on the next generation of legal fights and innovative legal and policy solutions for the current moment.
We invite papers that consider how to preserve and protect our democracy, including voting and fair representation, addressing these critical issues from a diversity of perspectives. We would be especially pleased to consider submissions from practitioners and scholars in the early stages of their academic careers.
Manuscripts should be between 8,000 and 12,000 words in length and citations should conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. The Law Review anticipates selecting three papers for publication from this call for papers. We will begin accepting submissions on August 3, 2020 at lawreview@nyu.edu.
For more information, please contact Safeena Leila Mecklai, Managing Editor, Vols. 95–96, at safeena@nyu.edu.
