Common Good Constitutionalism: A Symposium

By The James Wilson Institute

In 2020, Prof. Adrian Vermeule of Harvard Law School fired a broadside against originalism and the conservative legal establishment with an essay in The Atlantic. Prof. Vermeule built upon his essay with his new book Common Good Constitutionalism (Polity). We’re pleased to host a symposium on Prof. Vermeule’s book featuring a collection of James Wilson Fellows and Scholars. The aim of this symposium is to take seriously Vermeule’s challenge without any invective or cliche. We have gathered a cadre of writers broadly sympathetic to Prof. Vermeule’s articulation of the classical legal tradition’s understanding of law and morality as interwoven, even as these writers offer pointed critiques of the book. We hope you enjoy the series of reviews we have planned over the coming weeks.

Co-Founder & Editor, Garrett Snedeker

More by this author

April 27, 2022

A Jurisprudential Red Pill: Part I

Evelyn Blacklock examines Prof. Adrian Vermeule's "Common Good Constitutionalism" and the alternative it offers to the status quo camps of jurisprudence.

By Evelyn Blacklock

May 12, 2022

A Jurisprudential Red Pill: Part II

Evelyn Blacklock continues her commentary on Vermeule's Common Good Constitutionalism, showing the strengths of the argument, while also demonstrating some needed nuances between the Classical and the Enlightenment perspectives of law.

By Evelyn Blacklock

May 16, 2022

Are We All Common Good Constitutionalists Now?

John Ehrett '21 analyzes the role Vermeule’s book plays in calling for a return to better legal reasoning. Yet, even Vermeule's solution may not address the root of the problem.

By John Ehrett