Upcoming Events

Originalism and Criminal Justice Symposium 

September 10-11, 2026 |  The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 

The Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society is proud to partner with the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University to co-sponsor the upcoming Originalism and Criminal Justice Symposium, taking place in Fall 2026. 

This event will bring together scholars, jurists, and experts to examine how originalist constitutional interpretation intersects with contemporary issues in criminal law and procedure.

View the agenda and register via the conference webpage.

Constitution Day Lecture:

The Future of the Religion Clauses at the Supreme Court

4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. |  Thompson Library, 11th Floor

Register today!

The 2026 Constitution Day program at The Ohio State University will feature Stephanie Barclay, Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center and Co-Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, delivering a public lecture titled "The Future of the Religion Clauses at the Supreme Court." 

Designed to attract a wide campus and community audience, the event will explore how originalist interpretation of the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses is reshaping the law of religious liberty—and what the Supreme Court's emerging doctrinal frameworks mean for cases on the horizon. 

By connecting founding-era understandings of religious freedom to current and forthcoming legal controversies, the program will encourage students and community members alike to consider how the Court's approach to the Religion Clauses influences governance, individual liberty, and the relationship between church and state in the twenty-first century.

2026 Conference on Civic Thought 

Wednesday and Thursday, September 23-24, 2026 | The Blackwell Inn 

By Invitation Only

The Conference on Civic Thought is a national annual scholarly conference on civic thought in higher education. This conference brings together scholars from multiple disciplines and across the nation to present their research on citizenship. The event features keynote addresses, plenary sessions, and concurrent panels, offering a dynamic platform for dialogue and collaboration across disciplines.

Salmon P. Chase Distinguished Lecture

Nov. 17, 2026  | Vitoria on the Square, 14 E. 15th Ave. Columbus, OH 43201

Biographer, historian, and journalist Sam Tanenhaus discusses the life of William F. Buckley Jr.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Lecture

Jan. 20, 2027  | The Blackwell Ballroom, 2110 Tuttle Park Place; Columbus, OH 43210

Claremont McKenna College Professor Nicholas Buccola compares the philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Barry Goldwater.

Chase Center Signature Debate

Feb. 17, 2027  | The Ohio Union, 1739 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43210

Princeton University Professor Stephen Macedo and Harvard University Professor Naomi Oreskes debate the role of experts in a democracy in the wake of COVID lockdowns.

Ohio Civics Centers Symposium

April 23, 2027  | TBD

The Chase Center convenes Ohio’s civics centers to discuss civic education and engage with thought leaders.

Teaching the Constitution

June 2027  | TBD

Chase Center faculty provide professional development to 150 K-12  teachers from across  the United States.

Ohio Classical and Liberal Arts K-12 Conference

Third Annual Conference on Civic Thought