Bill of Rights Journal Holds Symposium on Defending Due Process

On February 27, the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal (BORJ) hosted its annual symposium, “Defending Due Process: Why Fairness Matters in a Polarized World.”

The event brought together scholars and practitioners to examine due process from a range of perspectives, continuing the Journal’s long engagement with constitutional questions and providing students with an opportunity to engage directly with scholars shaping the doctrine today.

The BORJ staff were especially grateful to Professor Brandon Garrett of Duke University School of Law for bringing the idea for the symposium to the Journal and for sharing insights from his recent book that inspired the event, Defending Due Process: Why Fairness Matters in a Polarized World (Polity Press, March 2025).

Panel topics included “Technology & Due Process,” “Social Attitudes, Psychology & Due Process,” “Public Benefit, Equality & Due Process,” and a lunchtime conversation between the Honorable Jed Rakoff, Senior United States District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and Professor Garrett.

Scholars, judges and faculty who participated throughout the day, included Judge Rakoff, William & Mary Vice Dean Kami Chavis, and Professors Tom Tyler, Sara Sternberg Greene, and Margaret Hu , along with moderators Laura Killinger, Cynthia Ward, and Allison Orr Larsen.

The Journal was also grateful to partner with the Institute of Bill of Rights Law and the many students editors, and faculty who helped organize the event.

BORJ will continue the conversation by publishing symposium contributions in Volume 35, Issue 2 of the Journal.