The Leaflet

a spotlight on the ideas

that will shape the future of constitutionalism.

 Monday, February 13, 2023
 
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From the Director's Desk
We do not often think of Haiti as a site of constitutional innovation. And yet Haiti adopted one of the world's first written constitutions in 1801 (photo below), not long after the US, France, and Poland. Since then, Haiti has had over twenty constitutions, offering a rich history for scholars interested in how and why constitutions emerge and expire. In this Black History Month, I encourage us all to learn something about the constitutional law of an understudied jurisdiction. A good place to start is the Caribbean, home to fascinating constitutional politics in decolonization and reform.
Richard Albert
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--Comments Welcome--
Multi-Textual Constitutions
In my new paper--forthcoming in the Virginia Law Review--I offer the first comprehensive scholarly introduction to constitutions consisting of multiple documents with shared supremacy under law. These constitutions--which I call multi-textual constitutions--are ubiquitous but they have yet to be identified, studied, and theorized. I seek to remedy that problem. An early draft is now available online. Comments are most welcome! 
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--Program Now Available--
The 2023 Global Summit on Constitutionalism
We have now released the program for our three-day extravaganza in constitutional studies here at the University of Texas at Austin next month on March 16-18. We will feature a plenary program of lectures, a rich menu of concurrent sessions, and delicious Austin food. We look forward to seeing many of you here in just a few short weeks! 
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Book Launch
Today--Monday, February 13, at 4pm--the Constitutional Studies Program will host a discussion on “Amending America’s Unwritten Constitution” (Cambridge University Press, 2022), featuring presentations by three chapter authors—Vik Amar (Illinois), Sandy Levinson (Texas), and Mark Tushnet (Harvard)—with comments from Rhonda Evans (Texas). If you are here in Austin, do join us! A reception will follow immediately after the discussion.
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Now in Print!
The 2021 Global Review of Constitutional Law is now available in print! When we started this project in 2015, we did not imagine that it would grow as influential as it has. Now entering its 7th year, the Global Review is today an invaluable resource to learn about constitutional law developments around the world. Congratulations to all contributors and thanks to our entire team, including my co-editors David Landau, Pietro Faraguna, Ĺ imon Drugda and RocĂ­o De Carolis. The book is also available in open access.  
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The Causes of Constitutional Rigidity
How does a constitution become unamendable when it is designed to be freely amendable? This new paper by Yihenew Misrak, Yayew Genet, and Ketemaw Muluye explains the political, institutional, and social causes of unamendability in Ethiopia. A fascinating paper worth reading!
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Class Dinner with Lydia Tiede
Last week, we hosted Lydia Tiede in our advanced research seminar in constitutional studies. Professor Tiede--author of Judicial Vetoes (Cambridge University Press) and High Courts in Global Perspective (University of Virginia Press) presented “Constitutionalizing Peace,” an empirical analysis of 35 civil war countries that have constitutionalized peace accords between 1990 and 2017. After our seminar, we enjoyed an informal dinner with our students. I am thrilled to be co-teaching this seminar with Zach Elkins and Ran Hirschl.
 
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Richard Albert

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Richard Albert
Founder and Director
 
The mission of the International Forum on the Future of Constitutionalism is to marshal knowledge and experience to build a world of opportunity, liberty, and dignity for all.
 
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