40th Anniversary of Plyler v. Doe and Immigration Law in the United States

Dedicated to Professor Michael A. Olivas

November 4, 2022

Zoom

St. John’s University Law Review is pleased to announce a Call for Papers from which panelists will be selected to participate in the Law Review’s Symposium marking the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s historical Plyler v. Doe decision as a starting point for discussing current immigration law, broadly defined, in the United States. The Symposium will bring together a diverse group of legal scholars and practitioners to engage in discussions on the history of Plyler, the rights of undocumented children and others seeking entry into the United States, and the ongoing challenges that plague the United States immigration system. The Symposium will be dedicated in memory of Professor Michael A. Olivas, a leading authority and prolific scholar on immigration law, who held the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair in Law Emeritus at the University of Houston and was the Director of the University of Houston’s Institute for Higher Education Law & Governance. Professor Olivas was notably the author of No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented School children, and Perchance to DREAM: A Legal and Political History of the DREAM Act and DACA.

As the 40th anniversary of Plyler is upon us, it is critical that we explore the history of undocumented children’s rights and the status and possible future of where those rights stand. With calls to revisit Plyler from state governors, ongoing litigation surrounding DACA, and the seemingly irresolvable border crisis, it is imperative that we focus on what these developments mean for undocumented children and immigrants in general. We will also use the occasion to explore broader legal and policy questions regarding the complex and arduous procedures for those seeking asylum in the United States as well as refugee status, including the present Ukrainian refugee crisis. Scholarly papers addressing any of these topics will be considered for publication.

Submission Guidelines: Previously written papers not yet published regarding the topic of immigration will be considered. Proposals of 500 to 750 words should be sent as an e-mail file attachment in MS Word to Kassandra Pugliese at kpugliese.stjohnslrev@gmail.com by Friday, September 2, 2022. Each proposal should be accompanied by contact information and a brief bio. Full drafts of articles, between 1000 and 7000 words, will be due by Friday, October 14, 2022. Accepted articles will be published during the spring of 2023 in Volume 96, Issue 4 of the St. John’s Law Review.