Conference 

# Magna Carta and the Rule of Law around the World 

Date and Time 

June 4, 2015 9 AM - 12:15 PM EDT 

Location 

Hayek Auditorium 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring **Richard Helmholz**, Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School; **Roger Pilon**, Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute; **Tom Palmer**, Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; **Richard Pipes**, Professor of History Emeritus, Harvard University; **Swaminathan Aiyar**, Research Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute; **Juan Carlos Botero**, Executive Director, World Justice Project; moderated by **Ilya Shapiro**, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute; and **Ian Vasquez**, Director, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute. 

June marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, the “Great Charter of Liberties” that King John of England agreed to and that aimed to limit the Crown’s power. The Magna Carta exerted a significant influence on the development of the common law in England and subsequently in the United States. Richard Helmholz will explain the emergence of the Magna Carta, describe its substance, and discuss its impact on the rule of law in England. Roger Pilon will speak about the charter’s importance to the United States. And Tom Palmer will discuss similar charters in other parts of medieval Europe. Other speakers will address the unsteady spread of the rule of law around the world: Richard Pipes will describe the case of Russia, Swami Aiyar will discuss India’s experience, and Juan Carlos Botero will give a global overview of progress and challenges based on the *Rule of Law Index*.

| **9:00–10:30 a.m.** | **Panel 1: Magna Carta and the Western Tradition** [Download a video of Panel 1](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2015/cc-06-04-15-01.mp4) [Download a podcast of Panel 1](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2015/cca-06-04-15-01.mp3) **Moderator: [Ilya Shapiro](https://www.cato.org/people/ilya-shapiro)** Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute **Richard Helmholz** Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School **[Roger Pilon](https://www.cato.org/people/roger-pilon)** Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute **[Tom Palmer](https://www.cato.org/people/tom-palmer)** Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network Senior Fellow, Cato Institute |
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| **10:30–10:45 a.m.** | **Break** |
| **10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.** | **Panel 2: The Unsteady Spread of the Rule of Law** [Download a video of Panel 2](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2015/cc-06-04-15-02.mp4) [Download a podcast of Panel 2](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2015/cca-06-04-15-02.mp3) **Moderator: [Ian Vasquez](https://www.cato.org/people/ian-vasquez)** Director, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute **Richard Pipes** Professor of History Emeritus, Harvard University **[Swaminathan Aiyar](https://www.cato.org/people/swaminathan-anklesaria-aiyar)** Research Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute [Swaminathan Aiyar’s Presentation: The Rule of Law in India (PPT)](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/swami-aiyar-presentation.ppt) **Juan Carlos Botero** Executive Director, World Justice Project [Juan Botero’s Presentation: The Rule of Law Worldwide (PPT)](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/juan-botero-presentation.ppt) |

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