Staffordshire University Law Conference

It is twenty years since the judgment in Thoburn v Sunderland CC [2002] EWHC 195 in which Laws LJ first made the claim that there is a category of statutes – constitutional statutes – which are protected from implied repeal. Since then, the idea of constitutional statutes has been recognised by the Supreme Court and by the courts in Northern Ireland and Scotland. They have also been recognised by Parliament, parliamentarians and by members of the executive.

This in-person, one-day conference will examine the development, continuing legacy and continuing relevance of constitutional statutes. Proposed papers are invited from academics and practitioners at all stages of their careers and papers by early career academics and PhD students are particularly welcome.

Potential papers may consider the following themes (this list is non-exhaustive)

• Constitutional statutes and parliamentary sovereignty

• Theoretical or historical underpinnings of constitutional statutes

• Constitutional statutes post-Brexit

• Constitutional statutes and the principle of legality (the presumption that Parliament does not legislate to defeat fundamental rights)

• Constitutional statutes and devolved legislatures and administrations

Paper presentations will be 20 minutes long followed by 10 minutes for questions.

In the first instance, abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent to john.mcgarry@staffs.ac.uk. The deadline for abstracts is 11:59pm 1 July 2022. Please put ‘Constitutional Statutes – Twenty Years on’ in the subject header of your email. Please also include a brief 100 word author bio.

We aim to publish from the conference in either an edited text or special edition of a journal.

Key dates

• Submission of abstracts by 11:59 1 July 2022. As stated above, abstracts should be no more than 300 words and be sent to john.mcgarry@staffs.ac.uk. The deadline for abstracts is 11:59pm 1 July 2022. Please put ‘Constitutional Statutes – Twenty Years on’ in the subject header of your email. Please also include a brief 100 word author bio.

• Conference day: Friday 16 September 2022 Registration of the conference will open on 11 July and the deadline for registration is Monday 5 September 2022. An Eventbrite link will be made available nearer the time.

Registration fees

The fee to attend the conference is £40, PhD students can attend for a discounted rate of £20. All speakers must register and pay for the conference. The fee includes lunch, refreshments and on campus parking (there are plenty of spaces available to park but we cannot guarantee any delegate a parking space).