The 150th Anniversary of Minor v. Happersett:
The Past and Future of Women’s Rights
Washington University School of Law
September 27, 2024
Call for Papers
Abstract Submission Deadline: June 14
The Washington University School of Law and the Washington University Law Review will host a Symposium centered on the 150th anniversary of the historic St. Louis case, Minor v. Happersett, on September 27, 2024. (The 150th anniversary will align with the subsequent publishing of the Law Review’s Symposium edition as Volume 6 of Issue 102 the following spring.)
In 1872, Virginia Minor challenged a St. Louis registrar’s decision to block her from registering to vote. Minor argued the Fourteenth Amendment conferred upon her the right to vote as a “privilege” of American citizenship. In 1875, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected Minor’s assertion, ruling that voting was not a right of national citizenship. Despite the rejection of Minor’s claim, this case remains an important historical moment in both American women’s suffrage and the feminist movement at large.
This Symposium will bring together scholars across many fields of law, including feminist studies, voting rights and election law, and related fields. Submissions having no direct relation to the Minor case are welcome. Papers might address topics including, but not limited to, the following:
• The history and evolution of women’s rights
• Past or present voting rights and election law
• Ballot initiatives post-Dobbs
The Symposium will consist of approximately 3-4 panels over the course of one day, with the panels being created by the Law Review based on relatedness of subject matters across selected pieces. Participants will attend and serve on the panels, and will be asked to read up to a dozen papers (with special attention paid to the papers of others on their panel). The papers circulated for the Symposium are drafts, and the discussion on September 27 will include feedback.
The Symposium will include a dinner the night before. There is no conference fee, and Washington University will host all of the meals on the conference date. Funding will be available to assist with travel expenses—each participant is eligible for up to $1,000 to reimburse hotel and economy-class airfare expenses.
To apply, please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words to [email protected] by June 14, 2024. Submissions will be vetted by a committee of students from the Law Review, supervised by faculty advisors (listed below). Selection will be based on the originality of the abstract as well as its capacity to engage with other papers in a collaborative dialogue.
Participants will also be invited to submit a paper for publication in the Washington University Law Review’s Symposium edition (Issue 6 of Volume 102). The publication cycle for this editionwill begin in February 2025, with publication estimated to be in the late summer of 2025. If youare interested in publishing a paper (10,000-15,000 words), please indicate your interest when yousubmit your abstract.
Participants will be notified of their selection by early July. Drafts for distribution at theSymposium will be due on September 6. We look forward to your submissions and participation.Questions can be directed to the organizing Law Review members and their faculty advisors via the [email protected] address.
Thank you!
Hannah Keidan
Chief Diversity Editor (Law Review lead on the Symposium)
Washington University Law Review
Kaitlyn Salyer
Editor-in-Chief
Washington University Law Review
Susan Frelich Appleton
Lemma Barkeloo & Phoebe Couzins Professor of Law
Washington University School of Law
Travis Crum
Associate Professor of Law
Washington University School of Law