The Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy is a vibrant center for scholarship and events, supporting the functioning of constitutional democracies in the United States and abroad.
About the Center
Established in 2000 through a gift from Dr. Stephen Floersheimer, the Center supports research by scholars and policymakers, hosts speakers and conferences, issues publications and provides financial support for visiting scholars as well as student projects. Topics of particular concern include civil liberties in an age of terrorism, the structures of democratic government and the relationship between church and state.
The Center's Co-Directors for Fall 2023 are Prof. Rebecca Ingber, and Prof. Kate Shaw.
Every summer, the Center provides research grants for faculty working on projects related to the Center's mission. Recent recipients include Alexander A. Reinert, David Rudenstine, Michael E. Herz, and David Rudenstine.
Cardozo's constitutional law faculty members, including Michael E. Herz and Kate Shaw, provide commentary on landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases in the Cardozo Benchmarks video series.
Upcoming Events
The SCOTUS Term Preview
- Sep 20
Join Professors Michael Herz, Kate Shaw and Luís C. Calderón Gómez as they talk about what to expect from the Supreme Court in the upcoming term.
The panelists will flag and discuss the most important cases to be heard this Term, including litigation over mifepristone, guns, taxation of unrealized income and the future of the administrative state.
This event is NOT open to the public. Lunch will be served. RSVP is not required.
Cardozo Law Symposium: Michel Rosenfeld's A Pluralist Theory of Constitutional Justice
- Oct 16
Featured Events (Spring 2023)
The Future of Voting: State Courts, Independent Legislatures and the Court
Featured Events (Spring 2023)
Floersheimer Center: The Supreme Court and New Frontiers in Religious Liberty
Featured Events (Fall 2022)
Why Florida Copied its ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill from Hungary & What It Means for Democracy in the U.S. (November 1st, 2022)
Student Fellows
The center designates Floersheimer Student Fellows each year. The fellows, who receive a modest stipend, perform legal research, help execute events, and provide other support for the center’s projects.
The center also provides financial support for student activities that are consistent with the center’s overall mission. Cardozo students seeking financial support for an organization or for an individual internship or other project should contact the program's co-directors.
Louise Williams (23') at her summer externship, which was made possible with the Floersheimer Center fund.
Visitors and Fellows
The center invites a small number of Distinguished Fellows to be in residence for two to four weeks during the academic year. Fellows are provided an office, secretarial assistance, travel and living expenses and an honorarium. While at Cardozo, they contribute in such ways as teaching a mini-course, giving a faculty workshop or public lecture, guest teaching another professor’s course, or providing an article to a Cardozo journal. In addition, the center occasionally sponsors a semester-long visit by a prominent constitutional scholar.