Events

Summer is just beginning, but wildfires are already raging in the West. Large and destructive wildfires are becoming more common, with new records set almost every year. Although several factors contribute to this trend, a significant one is the declining health of our nation’s forests. The U.S. Forest Service, which manages 193 million acres of …

Wildfires have been growing increasingly expensive and deadly in recent years. This trend is being driven by a number of different factors, including growing population density along urban and wildland interfaces, warming global temperatures that are extending the fire season, and historical mismanagement of fire-prone lands. Long-term climate action may work to reverse some of the trends we are seeing, but those changes likely won’t be felt for decades to come. In the meantime, it is critical that we find solutions to address the shorter-term problems that are exacerbating wildfire issues, whether on private, state, or federal land.

We invite proposals for research papers that add to the existing academic literature on the challenges surrounding wildfire management, policies that may be creating barriers to better outcomes, and solutions to those issues.

Paper proposals are due by March 20, 2021.

Judicial deference isn’t just a hot topic at the federal level. In fact, many states are leading a revolution against administrative deference doctrines. In recent years, at least six states have rejected deference through judicial rulings, two have done so through legislation or referendum, and still other states have taken skeptical intermediate …

Pacific Legal Foundation’s Center for the Separation of Powers and New York University School of Law’s Journal of Law & Liberty seek papers for a symposium on “Responding to Emergency: A Blueprint for Liberty in a Time of Crisis,” to be held in February of 2022 at the NYU Law campus in New York City.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted varied responses from legislative bodies and executive branch actors at every level of government, all of which has affected almost every aspect of American society. At the federal level, Congress set policy through legislation on diverse matters ranging from employment and federal housing issues to various economic relief packages. In 2020, the Trump administration took a relatively laissez-faire approach, compared to its executive branch counterparts at the state level. Notably, governors throughout most of the country took unprecedented actions aimed at slowing the spread of the disease, with many continuing to exercise “emergency powers” into 2021—generally without complying with the constitutional and procedural requirements applicable for executive branch action in ordinary times.

Paper proposals are due by August 1, 2021.