While Mick Jagger has yet to set foot in the Taggart Student Center, Utah State University recently played host to what 10th Circuit Federal Court Judge Michael McConnell called the “rock star” of the justice system.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia highlighted the two-day Freedom and the Rule of Law Conference that was sponsored by the political science department.

“I don't think there's been a speaker on campus in my two years that came anywhere close to drawing this many participants”

– James Strickler, political science professor

Scalia employed his trademark wit and in-depth knowledge of the United States Constitution to address an audience of 1,700 from the campus and community about the importance of observing the Constitution as an original document that was written to preserve the freedoms of the American people.

“I don't think there's been a speaker on campus in my two years that came anywhere close to drawing this many participants,” said political science professor James Strickler. “This is by far the biggest thing that's happened at Utah State (since I've) been here.”

While Scalia did draw large attendance to the conference, he also drew interest to the political science department's Project on Liberty and American Constitutionalism, said political science professor Anthony Peacock, director of the project.

“The point of this new project is to look at questions of liberty,” Peacock said. “One of the fundamental issues of freedom is the role of the rule of law. We wanted to look at the relationship as one of the fundamental principles of liberty.”

The Project on Liberty and American Constitutionalism is a unique venture whose mission statement declares the project's aim is “to explore the meaning of liberty in the American constitutional system, with specific emphasis on the Founders' commitment to limited and responsible government that promotes individual liberty, free markets and a strong national defense.”

Peacock said the project has sparked interest among esteemed scholars from various institutions, many of whom accepted invitations to speak at the conference. In all, eight scholars spoke, including Joyce Lee Malcolm, a professor of law at George Mason University School of Law, Louis Fisher, a specialist in constitutional law at the Law Library of the Library of Congress and Ed Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

“They are people that have a genuine interest in the kinds of things we were discussing,” Strickler said of the guest scholars.

“They happily came to take part in it.”

Strickler said the event was a success in bringing attention to the department's project and was a payoff of nearly two years of planning and preparation.

“It was a great privilege of ours to have Justice Scalia come,” Strickler said. “We're very grateful that he took time out of his incredibly busy schedule to come here and share this kickoff event with us. We're hopeful that alumni and others will become aware of the program we have here.”

For more information on the Project on Liberty and American Constitutionalism, visit liberty.usu.edu.

– Seth R. Hawkins