Please join us for a special symposium and commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of the Indiana Constitution of 1851.
📅 Thursday, November 5, 2026
📍 Indiana State Archives -- New Downtown Location – 350 W. Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202 // AND (across the street at the)
Indiana State Library, 315 W. Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM
In November 2026, Indiana marks the 175th anniversary of its Constitution of 1851, a document that fundamentally reshaped the state's legal, civic, and political foundations and whose influence endures today. To honor this milestone, we will be inviting proposals for different forms of participation in the Indiana Constitutional Symposium.
The symposium will be held on November 5, 2026, at two locations located across the street from one another in downtown Indianapolis: the new Indiana State Archives and the Indiana State Librart. The event will bring together legal professionals, judges, historians, educators, students, and community partners for a daylong program of lightning talks, roundtable discussion, workshops, student essays, and a keynote speech delivered by Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush.
PARTNERS
Partners include the Indiana State Archives, Indiana University McKinney School of Law, the Indiana Law Review, the Indianapolis Bar Association's Rule of Law Committee, the Indiana State Bar Association, the Indiana Historical Bureau, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, and the Quill Project (Pembroke College, Oxford & Utah Valley University).
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Download a color PDF version of the Schedule of Events here.
Time | Location A Multipurpose Room, Indiana State Archives | Location B Author’s Room, Indiana State Library |
Session 1 9:00-10:00 | SESSION 1A Lightning Talks: The Constitution and the Executive | SESSION 1B Roundtable Benjamin Harrison the Lawyer |
“The Governor and the Historian: Thomas Marshall, Jacob P. Dunn Jr., and the Reform of the Indiana Constitution.”
Ray Boomhower, Historian and Senior Editor, Indiana Historical Society Press, and award-winning author most recently of Wallace Terry: A Reporter’s Journey from Selma to Saigon to Bloods “Tucker v. State, the Indiana Constitution, and the Unitary Executive”
Jon Laramore, Chief Executive Officer, Indiana Legal Services, Inc.; Leader and co-leader, appellate practice group, Baker & Daniels and Faegre Baker Daniels, 2005-2015; Chief Legal Counsel to Governors Frank O’Bannon and Joe Kernan
“Intersection of the Constitution and Executive Branch” [working title]
Michael Nosset, General Counsel to the Indiana Secretary of Education and the eight agencies reporting to the Office of Education, Governor’s Office; Former Deputy General |
Panelists: Charlie Hyde, President and CEO, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site; Past President, Contemporary Club of Indianapolis; Past President, Indianapolis Consortium of Arts Administrators (ICAA) Judge James P. Hanlon, United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana; Adjunct Professor, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Federal Criminal Practice Chief Judge Elizabeth Tavitas, Court of Appeals of Indiana; Adjunct Professor, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law Chuck Dunlap, President and CEO, Indiana Bar Foundation; Administrator, Indiana Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) program, Coalition for Court Access, We the People, and Indiana High School Mock Trial Program | |
Time | Location A Multipurpose Room, Indiana State Archives | Location B Author’s Room, Indiana State Library |
Session 2 10:15 -11:00 | SESSION 2A Lightning Talks: Black Hoosiers and the 1851 Constitution | SESSION 3B Roundtable: Indiana’s Foundations of Independence |
“You're Free but Not Welcome: 'Negroes and Mulattoes' in Article 13 of the 1851 Constitution of Indiana” Mark Stuaan, Visiting Professor IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Former Partner, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of Illinois and Southern District of Indiana “Reflections and Resilience: Black Pioneers and the 1851 Constitution” Kisha Tandy, Historian and Curator of Social History at the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, author of numerous talks and articles on Indiana Black history |
Panelists: Justice Frank Sullivan, Professor of Practice, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law; Indiana Supreme Court Justice (1993-2013) Dr. Nicole Etcheson, Alexander M. Bracken Endowed Chair of History, Ball State University, author of numerous books and articles including, A Generation at War: The Civil War Era in a Northern Community Dr. David Bodenhamer, Owner, NRR Strategies; Executive Director Emeritus, The Polis Center, Indiana University-Indianapolis; Professor of History and Informatics Emeritus, Indiana University-Indianapolis Ryan Cole, Historian and Author, most recently of The Last Adieu: Lafayette’s Triumphant Return, the Echoes of Revolution, and the Gratitude of the Republic; Speechwriter, Office of Senator Todd Young Jill Weiss Simins, Historian and Director of Special Projects, Indiana State Archives | |
Time | Location A Multipurpose Room, Indiana State Archives | Location B Author’s Room, Indiana State Library |
Session 3 11:00-11:45 | SESSION 3A Lightning Talks: Archives to Courtroom | SESSION 2B Student Session |
“The Warden’s Report: Indiana’s Constitutional Answer to Juvenile Justice, 1850 to Today”
Joel Wieneke, Youth Defender, Marion County Public Defender Agency; Adjunct Clinical Professor, Indiana University Maurer School of Law (former Attorney for Child Advocates, Inc. and the Indiana Public Defender Council) “Inside the Chambers and the Archives: A View of the ‘Second Wind’ Era” Maggie Smith, Partner, FBT Gibbons; Member, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers; named among the 25 Women Attorneys in the state of Indiana by Super Lawyers; annually selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America, since 2009 and lawyer of the year in 2021 for best appellate practice |
“We the People” In this session, students will simulate a congressional hearing, allowing them to demonstrate their understanding of constitutional principles. Mississinewa High School, Class of Adam Williamson Student Essay Contest Awards High school students from around the state competed in an essay contest where they reflected on Indiana’s 1851 constitution and its ongoing influence. First, second, and third place winners will receive their monetary awards and recognition. Rule of Law Committee of the Indianapolis Bar Association | |
12:00-1:00 Break for Lunch |
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Time | Location A Multipurpose Room, Indiana State Archives | Location B Author’s Room, Indiana State Library |
Session 4 1:00-1:45 | SESSION 4A Lightning Talks: Questions for Indiana’s Bill of Rights | SESSION 4B Lightning Talks: Constitutional Essentials |
“Children’s Fundamental Rights Under the Indiana Constitution” Rachel Vilensky, Clinical Professor, Family Law Clinic Director, Indiana University Maurer School of Law; former Director, Direct Representation Program, Child Advocates; Rachel will be joined in this session by Tatum Romaniuk and Dominic Doukakis, students from the IU Maurer School of Law "Some say yes, some say no. Who has the better argument? Article 1, Section 19 and a constitutional entitlement to ignore the law" Traci Cosby, Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of Indiana; Registered Domestic Relations Mediator; Deputy Prosecutor, Marion County Prosecutor’s Office (2022-2023); Commissioner, Marion Circuit Court – Paternity Division (2020-2021); Deputy Chief Litigation Counsel, Office of Corporation Counsel, City of Indianapolis/Marion County (2019-2020) |
“Article 3: the Distribution of Powers provision in the Indiana Constitution of 1851”
Judge Edward Najam, Indiana Court of Appeals, Indiana Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure (among other Supreme Court committees), Chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association “The Education and Religion Clauses of the Indiana Constitution” Lauren Zentz, Attorney at McNeelyLaw, LLP; Juris Doctor, Indiana University Indianapolis Robert H. McKinney School of Law; Author of Meredith v. Pence: A Lesson in Indiana Unconstitutional Law (2025) | |
Time | Location A Multipurpose Room, Indiana State Archives | Location B Author’s Room, Indiana State Library |
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| Keynote |
2:00-3:00 Keynote | No session at ISA | Chief Justice Loretta Rush, Indiana Supreme Court, Past President of the Conference of Chief Justices; member of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors; Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction; member of the American Law Institute; Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and an Academy of Law Alumni Fellow for the Maurer School of Law
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Virtual Keynote | ||
Virtual Keynote 3:00-4:00 | No Session at ISA | Judge Jeffrey Sutton, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, in Conversation with Judge Leanna Weissman, Indiana Court of Appeals, Chair-Elect for Appellate Judges Council Executive Board
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Time | Location A Multipurpose Room, Indiana State Archives | Location B Author’s Room, Indiana State Library |
| Quill Project Workshop |
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Workshop 4:00-5:00 | University of Oxford Quill Project This workshop will explore the Quill Project methodology for analysing and presenting state constitutional conventions, with a focus on what makes Indiana's 1851 convention distinctive. The workshop will include video link up with Oxford, as well as in-person and hands-on elements. Users will be introduced to the tools Quill is developing for diverse audiences, including lawyers, educators, and researchers. Participants will also receive advance access to the in-progress model of the Indiana Constitutional Convention of 1851. Dr Nicholas Cole, Director of the University of Oxford Quill Project Maya Reilly, Quill Project Documentary Editor Bethany Jedlicka, Quill Senior Documentary Editor, With students from Utah Valley University, Center for Constitutional Studies | No session at ISL |
MORE ON THE QUILL PROJECT WORKSHOP
This workshop will introduce the Quill Project's research into the constitutional history of the United States at the state level. Participants will explore the Quill methodology for analysing and presenting state constitutional conventions, with a particular focus on what makes Indiana's 1851 convention distinctive. The workshop will include video link up with Oxford, as well as in-person and hands-on elements.
Users will be guided through the newly digitized collections from the Indiana State Archives and introduced to the tools Quill is developing for diverse audiences, including lawyers, educators, and researchers. Participants will also receive advance access to the in-progress model of the Indiana Constitutional Convention of 1851.
The Indiana Convention (1850–1851) is distinct among mid-western State Conventions due to its length (193 plenary sessions, over 4 months of deliberation, and 3191 pages of records), and the approach taken to drafting articles. The scale of this project has therefore presented a particular challenge to the modelling team in Quill. A significant number of documents must be created: where a typical Convention might produce 13–15 standing committee reports, Indiana produced 72, and the practice of referring individual sections independently for revision (rather than articles as a whole) means that the total amount of interlinked reports will total over 200 (this number being determined based on the total of 192 sections in the final 1851 Constitution). The scale is reflected in the data: at only 46% completion of the Convention's 193 plenary sessions, the project has already recorded more than 5,800 events, surpassing the entire event-count of the Kansas Convention (of 3,900) by contrast. Indiana has therefore demanded not only huge amounts of data entry, but revised thinking about how to represent the negotiation.
ARCHIVES EXHIBIT
Come see Indiana's 1816 and 1851 original Constitutions in person! The Indiana State Archives is proud to present "Indiana's Foundations of Independence, 1776–1851," an exhibit that traces the threads connecting the ideals of the American founding to the documents that still govern Hoosier life today. Visitors will view legislative acts establishing counties and universities, monumental Indiana Supreme Court decisions, and Indiana’s 1816 and 1851 Constitutions. This is state civics brought to life in primary sources.
It is a reminder that our liberties have firm roots in the founding ideals, but it is up to us to continue to create a state that reflects them.
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPATION --> CLOSED
1. LIGHTNING TALKS (approx.15 minutes)
We welcome short, focused presentations on any aspect of the Indiana Constitution of 1851, its history, or its legacy. Possible approaches include, but are not limited to, close readings of a favorite clause or article, exploration of a constitutional convention debate, analysis of landmark Indiana Supreme Court decisions, or reflections on the 1851 Constitution's relationship to the Northwest Ordinance, the Indiana Constitution of 1816, or the U.S. Constitution. We especially encourage proposals that bring new perspectives or are based on new archival research.
Send Lightning Talk submissions to Jill Weiss Simins at JiWeiss@iara.IN.gov by August 5. See Submission Guidelines below.
2. ROUNDTABLE PANELS
We invite proposals for panel discussions on themes related to Indiana constitutional history, law, and civic life. Panel proposals should include a brief description of the theme, names and affiliations of proposed participants. Please let us know if you have a designated moderator or need one. We welcome applications for a full panel or for individuals seeking to join panels. More topic ideas below.
Submit Roundtable Panel proposals to Jill Weiss Simins at JiWeiss@iara.IN.gov by August 5. See Submission Guidelines below.
3. PUBLICATION in the Indiana Law Review
The Indiana Law Review is accepting article submissions commemorating the 175th Anniversary of Indiana’s 1851 Constitution. If you are interested in submitting an article, please send your submission to Sam Anderson (sra2@iu.edu) and Ben Welp (benwelp@iu.edu) by January 1, 2027.
- All submissions to the Indiana Law Review should contain:
- One copy of the manuscript, double-spaced, with one-inch margins in .docx format.
- Citations conforming to the current edition (22nd ed.) of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation.
- Abstract of the manuscript.
- Curriculum vitae for the author(s).
- Contact information for the fall, spring, and summer, including a telephone number, email address, and fax number.
4. STUDENT ESSAY CONTEST
The Rule of Law Committee of the Indianapolis Bar Association invites high school students across Indiana to reflect on the constitution that continues to shape our life today in a short (500-700 word) essay. First, second, and third place essays will receive a monetary award and recognition at the Indiana 1851 Constitutional Symposium on November 5, 2026. The contest will open on August 10 with a deadline of September 28. Students may find additional information, including the writing prompt and how to submit at: https://www.indybar.org/?pg=RuleofLawCommittee
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SUGGESTED THEMES for Lightning Talk, Roundtable Panels, and ILR articles.
Proposals need not be limited to these themes, but organizers welcome submissions addressing:
- The origins and drafting of the 1851 Constitution
- Comparison with the Indiana Constitution of 1816
- The influence of the Northwest Ordinance on Indiana's constitutional tradition
- Civil rights, liberties, and the limits of constitutional protection in 19th-century Indiana
- The judiciary and the development of Indiana constitutional law
- Key Supreme Court Decisions
- Local and county government under the 1851 Constitution
- Education, taxation, and public finance
- The 1851 Constitution and Indiana's place in American constitutional history
- State constitutions and federalism: lessons from Indiana
- Personal liberty, legal status, and Constitutional protection in Indiana
- Teaching Indiana constitutional history in K–12 and higher education
- The Amendment process and Reform Movements
- Public History and commemoration of Constitutional memory
- Arts, literature, and cultural responses to Constitutional law
- Voting and suffrage in Indiana History
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES for Lightning Talks and Roundtable Panels
Please submit the following to JiWeiss@iara.IN.gov by August 5, 2026:
* Your name, title, and institutional affiliation
* Proposal title
* Abstract (250–400 words)
* A brief bio (100 words)
* For panel proposals: names, affiliations, and a brief bio for each participant
Acceptance notifications will be sent by September 5.
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QUESTIONS?
Please contact Jill Weiss Simins at JiWeiss@iara.IN.gov
We look forward to a rich and wide-ranging conversation about Indiana's constitutional heritage — and hope to see you on November 5
