Constitutional Law Center Events

An integral part of the Constitutional Law Center's mission are the various lectures that invite the nation's top scholars, judges, and lawyers to campus.

Constitution Day Lecture

Each year, Drake University holds an event in honor of Constitution Day. The event usually involves a speech by a distinguished expert in constitutional law. The speaker also typically meets with the faculty at the law school. 

2024 Constitution Day Lecture

Thursday, September 19, 2024
3 p.m., Room 213, Cartwright Hall

Title: "Race and American Democracy"                      

Watch the recording here: 2024 Constitution Day Lecture Recording

Speaker: Guy-Uriel E. Charles, 2024 Coif Distinguished Visitor; Charles Ogletree, Jr. Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School

Read his bio here.

This event is free but you must register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drake-law-constitution-day-lecture-2024-registration-946624127247

This presentation has been approved for 1 CLE Hour

• Standard (Live) - Activity Number 412702
• Audio/Video On Demand - Activity Number 412704
• Live Webcast - Activity Number 412703

Please see the listing of past events for more information. 

Constitutional Law Symposium

The annual Constitutional Law Symposium invites scholars, judges, and lawyers from across the country to discuss a timely constitutional issue. The proceedings are published in the Drake Law Review.

2025 Constitutional Law Symposium

Saturday, March 29th, 2025

8:30-1:00 p.m.

“A Global Comparison of Presidential Immunity in Democracies.”   

Speakers: Will be updated soon please check back

Please see the listing of past events for more information. 

Judge James Grant Iowa Constitution Lecture Series

In 2012, the center initiated the Judge James Grant Iowa Constitution Lecture Series to feature prominent experts on the topic of the Iowa Constitution every other year. The event is made possible by the generous gifts of Patrick Grant, LW'76, and family. 

2025 Judge James Grant Iowa Constitution Lecture

Thursday, April 10th, 2025
3 p.m.

Cartwright Hall Room 213

"Title to be announced"
Speaker: Professor Todd Pettys - H. Blair and Joan V. White Chair in Civil Litigation, Professor of Law, University of Iowa Law School

Distinguished Lecture Series

The Constitutional Law Center's Distinguished Lecture Series brings to campus the nation's leading constitutional scholars to engage students and faculty on the important issues of the day. Speakers deliver a formal lecture, teach a class, and meet with students in informal settings.

Thursday, March 21, 2024
3 p.m.
Cartwright Hall, Room 213 (in-person)
Cartwright Hall, Room 206 (live stream)

Ronald Krotoszynski, John S. Stone Chairholder of Law and Director of Faculty Research, University of Alabama School of Law
Read his bio here.

Title: "Free Speech as Civic Structure: A Comparative Analysis of How Courts and Culture Shape the Freedom of Speech"

Watch the lecture 

Please see the listing of past events for more information. 

Dwight D. Opperman Lecture series

In 1988, Dwight D. Opperman, LW'51, former chairman of West Publishing Company, endowed the lecture series to bring the country's top jurists and legal scholars to Drake. Since then, 11 U.S. Supreme Court justices have delivered the Opperman Lecture.

View a list of the Drake Constitutional Law Center's past events.