Panel Discussion on Aileen Kavanagh's forthcoming book, 'The Collaborative Constitution' (Cambridge University Press, 2023)

We are delighted to invite you to a discussion of Aileen Kavanagh's forthcoming book, The Collaborative Constitution, which will be published by Cambridge University Press in August 2023. Aileen Kavanagh is Professor of Constitutional Governance at Trinity College Dublin. Here is a brief summary of The Collaborative Constitution : 

In this book, Aileen Kavanagh offers a fresh account of how we should protect rights in a democracy. Departing from leading theoretical accounts which present the courts and legislature as rivals for constitutional supremacy, Kavanagh argues that protecting rights is a collaborative enterprise between all three branches of government - the Executive, the legislature, and the courts. On a collaborative vision of constitutionalism, protecting rights is neither the solitary task of a Herculean super-judge, nor the dignified pronouncements of an enlightened legislature. Instead, it is a complex, dynamic, and collaborative endeavour, where each branch has a distinct but complementary role to play, whilst engaging with each other in a spirit of comity and mutual respect. Connecting constitutional theory with the practice of protecting rights in a democracy, this book offers an innovative understanding of the separation of powers, grounded in the values and virtues of constitutional collaboration.

Professor Kavanagh will be joined by Grégoire Webber (Queen's University), Michaela Hailbronner (University of Münster), and Erin F. Delaney (Northwestern University) for what promises to be a fascinating discussion. 

The event will take place at the White & Case Room (St Cross Building) on June 13th between 12:30 and 14:00. A sandwich lunch will be served.