International legal scholar to compare constitutions at KU lecture


LAWRENCE — How can constitutions serve as foundations for further developments in human rights and policy? Legal scholar Roberto Toniatti will explore that question on a global scale when he delivers the Robert C. Casad Comparative Law Lecture at the University of Kansas.  

Toniatti will present “Comparing Constitutions in the Global Era: Opportunities, Purposes and Challenges” at 3:45 p.m. Feb. 7, 2019 in 107 Green Hall. The public is invited to attend the free lecture and reception to follow.

Toniatti is a comparative constitutional law professor and former dean of the law school at the University of Trento in Trento, Italy. 

"KU Law and the University of Trento have a long-standing relationship, and we're particularly honored to have Professor Toniatti deliver this year's Casad Lecture,” said Virginia Harper Ho, associate dean of international & comparative law at the KU School of Law. “He brings a unique European perspective on the constitutional issues that are front and center in the news, both here and around the world."

Toniatti is an expert in comparative constitutional law and has written widely on the judiciary, legal pluralism, European integration, minority and indigenous peoples’ rights, and cultural citizenship. Toniatti was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Virginia and has since taught and lectured at leading institutions around the world, including the Universität Innsbruck, Hong Kong University, the National University of Singapore and Haifa University. In addition to his scholarly contributions, he also has advised the European Union and the Venice Commission. Toniatti is a member of the International Academy of Comparative Law. 

The Casad lecture series is named in honor of Professor Emeritus Robert Casad, who was on the faculty of the KU law school from 1959 to 1997. Casad is internationally known for his scholarship in comparative civil procedure. The inaugural Casad lecture was held in 2008, featuring George Bermann of Columbia Law School. H. Patrick Glenn of McGill University lectured in 2012, and Richard Buxbaum of the University of California-Berkeley lectured in 2015.