Join the Civitas Institute and the Pacific Legal Foundation for a conference to consider a foundational question: What did the Founders mean by the “pursuit of happiness”? What does that ideal demand of a free society today? Through panels and interactive discussions, participants will explore how government can promote human flourishing, and what to do when it restrains individuals’ ability to pursue happiness for themselves. The conference will engage leading thinkers to consider how this core principle of the Declaration should guide the proper scope of government in America’s next 250 years.
12:00 – 12:15 PM | Welcome & Introduction
Professor John Yoo, Senior Research Fellow at the Civitas Institute
12:15 – 1:00 PM | Lunch & Keynote Address
Jason L. Riley, WSJ Columnist and Senior Fellow at the ManhattanInstitute
1:00 – 1:15 PM | Break
1:15 – 2:45 PM | The Revolution, the Constitution, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Professor Bradley Thompson, Clemson University
Professor Lucas Morel, Washington & Lee University
Professor Carli Conklin, University of Missouri
Moderator: Professor Steven Hayward, Pepperdine University
2:45 – 3:00 PM | Break
3:00 – 4:30 PM | Law and the Pursuit of Happiness
Larry Salzman, Pacific Legal Foundation
David Hacker, First Liberty Institute
Timothy Sandefur, Goldwater Institute
Moderator: Michael Toth, Civitas Institute
4:30 – 5:30 PM | Closing Reception
