Memorial Symposium in Honor of Judge Stephen F. Williams

Friday, September 17, 2021

When Judge Stephen Williams died last year, he left behind family, friends, colleagues, protégés, and admirers who a year later still feel his absence dearly. He also left behind an enormous legacy, in his invaluable contributions to constitutional law, administrative law, regulatory policy, and liberal democracy itself.

His judicial opinions, articles, and books will be discussed for many years to come. And to continue that discussion, it was our pleasure and honor to host an event in his memory: a conference for new papers written for a symposium on Judge Williams’s legacy in law and liberty.

The conference was held on September 17, at the Historic Decatur House in Washington, D.C.

Last year, the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State invited a wide array of scholars to write new papers on many aspects of Judge Williams’s life and work. We are grateful to our authors, who discussed their newly completed papers at this event, followed by a reception where we were all able to continue the conversation.

Keynote remarks were offered by Judge Douglas Ginsburg, who originally created this symposium with Scalia Law’s then-Dean Henry Butler, and Professor Michael Greve. The event was live-streamed and recorded for those unable to attend in-person.

Agenda

All sessions were held in the Decatur House’s Carriage House (1610 H St NW, Washington DC 20006)

1:00 – 1:30 pm – Registration

1:30 – 1:35 pm – Welcome

Adam White, Co-Executive Director, The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State; Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

1:35 – 2:50 pm – Panel 1: Judge Williams on Administrative Law and Regulatory Policy

Ambassador C. Boyden Gray, Founding Partner, Boyden Gray & Associates PLLC, and Distinguished Senior Fellow, The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State
Thomas W. Merrill, Charles Evans Hughes Professor, Columbia Law School
James L. Huffman, Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus, Lewis & Clark Law School

Moderator: Jennifer Mascott, Assistant Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University; Co-Executive Director, The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State

2:50 – 3:05 pm – Break

3:05 – 4:20 pm – Panel 2: Judge Williams on the American Constitution and Liberal Democracy

Michael S. Greve, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Stephen E. Sachs, Antonin Scalia Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Nathaniel A. G. Zelinsky, Associate, Hogan Lovells LLP

Moderator: Adam White, Co-Executive Director, The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State; Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

4:20 – 4:30 pm – Break

4:30 – 5:00 pm – Keynote Address

The Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, Senior Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

5:00 – 6:00 pm – Reception, Carriage House Courtyard

6:00 pm – Adjourn

Research Papers for the Symposium

• Judge Stephen F. Williams and the Underestimated History of the Non-Delegation Doctrine
  Ambassador C. Boyden Gray, Founding Partner, Boyden Gray & Associates PLLC; Distinguished Senior Fellow, The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State
• So Close, And Yet So Far Away: Judge Stephen F. Williams on Federalism
  Michael S. Greve, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
• Judge Stephen Williams’ Environmental Jurisprudence
  James L. Huffman, Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus, Lewis & Clark Law School
• Judge Williams on Administrative Law
  Thomas W. Merrill, Charles Evans Hughes Professor, Columbia Law School
• Law Within Limits: Judge Williams and the Constitution
  Stephen E. Sachs, Antonin Scalia Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
• Stephen F. Williams on Liberalism: The Need to See a Share of Truth on the Opposite Side, and a Share of Error on One’s Own
  Nathaniel A. G. Zelinsky, Associate, Hogan Lovells LLP
• My Colleague, Judge Williams (Forthcoming)
  The Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, Senior Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Professor of Law, George Mason University