Law Review Symposium to revisit the landmark housing trial Shelley v. Kraemer


LAWRENCE — At a most basic level, a person’s home should be a source of safety, comfort and privacy. The freedom to decide where you live has historically been restricted to a small, wealthy and white section of the population. In 1948, the landmark case Shelley v. Kraemer set the precedent that it was unconstitutional for the judiciary to enforce racially restrictive housing covenants.

Home is Where the Law Says: 75 Years of Shelley v. KraemerOn Oct. 13, the 2023 Kansas Law Review Symposium will host a panel of scholars from across the country to revisit the case and discuss what issues are still in play 75 years later.

Home Is Where the Law Says: 75 Years of Shelley v. Kraemer will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University of Kansas School of Law in Green Hall. Check-in and breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Register and learn more about the symposium.

Speakers include:

  • Keynote speaker: Taja-Nia Henderson, Rutgers Graduate School-Newark
  • Stephen Clowney, University of Arkansas School of Law
  • Randall Johnson, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
  • Rosa Newman-Ruffin, Elon University School of Law
  • Brandon Weiss, American University Washington College of Law
  • Lua Yuille, Northeastern University School of Law

This symposium will explore modern legal theory and realities of property rights, housing access, race and segregation, contracts and the implicit and explicit powers and effects of the law. Through this symposium, organizers seek to engage scholars writing in diverse areas including property rights, housing rights, constitutional law, contracts, tenancy, access and discrimination, zoning, tax and other topics.

Scholarship associated with the symposium will be published in a spring 2024 edition of the Kansas Law Review. For more information, contact Libby Rohr, symposium editor, at lrohr@ku.edu.

Read this article from the KU News Service