Of course, we never quite get the ideal paper-but we do get some very good ones. Papers at the Colloquium range from abstract philosophy to detailed doctrine, and they have touched upon virtually every topic of constitutional controversy-federalism, religious liberty, voting rights, constitutional amendment, and artistic freedom are only a few of the subjects discussed within the last year. Sager and Eisgruber take pride in finding latent constitutional questions even in papers that address topics remote from the Colloquium's usual fare. If authors are willing to submit to our scrutiny, we're not going to question whether their topic is germane to the Colloquium's official agenda-even if their paper never mentions the Constitution. Like some of NYU's other Colloquia, the Constitutional Theory Colloquium is a day-long affair for the speaker and the two conveners.
Substantive conversation begins before noon and continues through lunch.
The preliminary talks lay the foundation for the three-hour public session, which begins late in the afternoon and runs into the early evening. The private discussions can be even more intense than the formal follow-up. Speakers typically find the experience both exhausting and rewarding. More than once, our guests have told us that nobody has ever read their work as carefully as the Colloquium did. As one might expect at the Global Law School, papers presented at the Colloquium frequently have an international flavor.