Symposium Foreword

The magnitude of the role which constitutional law plays in keeping the United States the mighty and productive nation that it is cannot be overestimated. In a very serious sense, constitutional law, and its uniquely American corollary, judicial review, are the tender threads upon which the whole awesome political venture, initiated only some 200 years ago, depends. Those of us who work in other vineyards tend to forget, or, even worse, to take for granted, the constitutional processes upon which we all so heavily depend. That is why a symposium such as this is of such value. It helps to remind all lawyers-not just those who happen to teach and work in the area of constitutional law-how important these constitutional processes are to each one of us. It also gives us a helpful report on the present condition of that universe; a prognosis about changes which may result from the inevitable social, political, philosophical, and ideological shifts which our society continually undergoes; and, finally, some observations about how these changes may affect society as we know it today