The Center’s Recent Symposium with the SMU Law Review

On October 25, the Center co-hosted a symposium at the SMU Dedman School of Law on the topic of Rahimi and The Future of Text, History and Tradition—in partnership with the SMU Law Review.

The symposium brought together top scholars of constitutional law and domestic violence to unpack the Supreme Court’s June 2024 decision in United States v. Rahimi and opine on crucial open questions concerning emerging Second Amendment doctrine.  The aim of the symposium was to clarify how (if at all) Rahimi modifies the methodology outlined in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, what the opinion means for the future of Second Amendment law, and where it leaves federal and state efforts to address the deadly intersection between guns and domestic violence.  

The conference was well-attended by both students and practitioners.  Three scholarly panels addressed Rahimi and its impact, and the event also featured a powerful keynote address by Stephanie J. Bond, a survivor of firearms-related domestic violence.  The symposium was held on the SMU campus in Dallas, a short drive from Arlington, Texas, where the underlying events in the Rahimi case took place. 

Video recordings of the symposium panels will be available shortly through the Center’s website.  The symposium essays will be published in a special, dedicated volume of the law journal next year.  Thank you to our partners at the SMU Law Review and to everyone who helped make the event a success!

• Panel 1 – From Bruen to Rahimi: Judicial Interpretation and the Evolving Landscape of Constitutional Law

Haley Proctor (Notre Dame); Amanda Tyler (Berkeley); Eric Ruben (SMU); Adam Winkler (UCLA); moderated by Darrell Miller (Chicago)

• Panel 2 – Public Safety and Historical Inquiry: History Analogues and Modern Challenges in Second Amendment Jurisprudence

Joseph Blocher (Duke); Jacob Charles (Pepperdine); Saul Cornell (Fordham); Allison Larsen (William & Mary); Nelson Lund (George Mason); moderated by Dale Carpenter (SMU)

• Panel 3 – The Future of Domestic Violence Prevention and Second Amendment Litigation

Bonnie Carlson (Mercer); F. Lee Francis (Widener Commonwealth); Natalie Nanasi (SMU); Megan Walsh (Minnesota); moderated by Andrew Willinger (Duke)