Federalism and the Decline of Natural Rights

Experience the Event

Presented by Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government

Stand at a crossroads of constitutional history, where ancient natural rights meet modern legal power. Immerse yourself in this inquiry by Jud Campbell, professor of law and the Helen L. Crocker Faculty Scholar at Stanford Law School, as he retraces the path of American liberty. Grasp how foundational ideals transformed across centuries, equipping you to perceive today’s legal debates with surgical, newfound clarity. Delve deeply into the shifting landscape of American rights.

“Federalism and the Decline of Natural Rights” was presented as the second of three events in the 2026 True Lecture Series. Inaugurated in the fall of 2024, the True Lecture Series is made possible through the generous support of Tad and Jenn True. This annual lecture series was created to foster the production of scholarly manuscripts of great significance by major scholars that relate to the principles and practices of American Constitutionalism.

In what sense are “all men . . . created equal”? What is human liberty? What is prosperity, and how is wealth created? In 1776 these questions were addressed and acted upon in ways that have created the modern world. Commemorating the 250th anniversary, explore 1776 and the ideas that made the modern world, focusing on the Declaration of Independence and Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations.

1776 and the Ideas That Made the Modern World, taught by Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Concurrent Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame and the Founding Director of ND’s Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government, and James Otteson, John T. Ryan Jr. Professor of Business Ethics in the Mendoza College of Business is sponsored by the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government at the University of Notre Dame. To find out more, please visit their website.

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Meet the Speaker: Jud Campbell

Jud Campbell is a professor of law and the Helen L. Crocker Faculty Scholar at Stanford Law School. He previously served as a professor of law at the University of Richmond School of Law and has been a visiting professor of law at the Harvard Law School, New York University School of Law, and the University of Chicago Law School. His academic focus is constitutional history and First Amendment law. His publications include articles in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, and Yale Law Journal. After completing his J.D. at Stanford Law School, he clerked for Judge Diane S. Sykes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and for Judge José A. Cabranes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He then served as the Executive Director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and two master’s degrees from the London School of Economics, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar.