Parties are
central to American politics and government, but the Constitution says absolutely nothing
about them. This has contributed to enormous uncertainty in the legal status of parties.
Federal and state laws affect the parties in multiple ways -- from ballot access, to the
primary process, to campaign finance. Yet, it is controversial whether these laws foster
or hinder the ability of parties to perform their roles of mobilizing voters, advancing
political debate or structuring government decision making.
On November 12 and 13, the Columbia Law School
Conference on Law and Political Parties will gather two dozen leading scholars from the
fields of law and political science to examine the interaction of political parties and
the law. The papers presented will examine the theory of political parties, the parties
and the Constitution, and the role of the parties in the political process. |
