The 19th Annual John F. Scarpa Conference on Law, Politics and Culture

Martin G. McGuinn ’67 Ceremonial Courtroom (Room 201)

The November 2024 election delivered a big win for conservatives. Yet, the future of conservatism will depend not just on winning elections but on preserving America as a free and just country worth dying for. A patriotism based on the untutored interests of ordinary voters will need to be corrected and reinforced by a dedication to the principles of the nation’s founding but perhaps even more, in the expression of the great conservative thinker Willmoore Kendall, “that experience of God that truly underlies Western Civilization.” Through a discussion about Steven Hayward’s Patriotism Is Not Enough (2017), this conference will invite constructive exercises of the political imagination made exigent by liberalism’s exhaustion. The speakers are leading experts in law, political philosophy, history, theology, public policy and conservative thought.

The Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board has approved this symposium for 5.5 substantive and 1 ethics CLE credits. Please note registration prior to the event is required.

For the full agenda and speaker details, please see the Villanova Law website:

https://www1.villanova.edu/university/law/about/news-events/events/2025/1219.html