The Volokh Conspiracy
Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent
Liberty Fund Symposium on the Legacy of David Boaz
Contributors include Andy Craig, Tarnell Brown, Aaron Ross Powell, Jonathan Blanks, and myself.
The Liberty Fund has organized a symposium on "The Legacy of David Boaz," the leading libertarian thinker and longtime Cato Institute leader, who passed away last year. Participants include Andy Craig, Tarnell S. Brown, Aaron Powell, Jonathan Blanks, and myself. Contributions will be posted over the next month or so. Here is the Introduction to the symposium:
David Boaz (August 29, 1953–June 7, 2024) was one of the most influential libertarians of the 20th century, and a driving force behind The Cato Institute for many decades. The breadth of his interests and his consistent application of his principles to real world challenges were obvious and inspiring to those who knew him. The authors in this series are connected by their work with Boaz and inspired by his demonstrated careful and courageous thought and action. Authors were asked to respond to one of two prompts: "What is an issue that you think David would want to bring forward today and what do you think he would have said about it?" or "What is an issue about which David's influence helped you see the importance, and how does what he taught you shape your thought about it?" On the one year anniversary of his death, we hope to show the continuing relevance of his legacy.
The first contribution - Andy Craig's essay "David Boaz Understood Liberty and the Rule of Law are Inseparable," was posted today. My initial essay, "David Boaz on Immigration," will be posted tomorrow.
When David passed away last June, I posted an obituary, and a transcript of his final speech, "The Rise of Illiberalism in the Shadow of Liberal Triumph." The speech is, if anything, even more relevant today than it was a year ago.
