A few weeks ago, while scrolling through the AALS Program, I noticed an oddity. The American Constitution Society is hosting a public law workshop–that is “invitation only.” The irony of a public law workshop that is private was apparently lost on the organizers.

According to the announcement, attendees at this this closed-door workshop will feature quite a lineup:

To further its mission of promoting the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and the fundamental values it expresses– individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, access to justice, democracy and the rule of law—the American Constitution for Law & Policy (ACS) is pleased to announce a call for papers for a workshop on public law to be held the afternoon of January 5, 2017 at the 2017 AALS Annual Meeting in San Francisco. A committee composed of members of ACS’s Board of Academic Advisors will select 10 papers and each selected author will have the opportunity to discuss his/her paper in depth with two experienced scholars, from a group that includes Erwin Chemerinsky, Pamela Karlan, Bill Marshall, Reva Siegel, Mark Tushnet, and Adam Winkler.

The only other panels that restrict attendance are for Deans or Associate Deans. None of the panels at the Federalist Society Faculty Conference are invitation only.

A few weeks ago I tweeted at ACS about getting an invitation. Still silence.

I’m still waiting for an invite. No @FedSoc panels at @TheAALS restrict attendance to invitees only. https://t.co/j4767O3yl1

— Josh Blackman (@JoshMBlackman) January 2, 2017

Casey Mattox (of ADF) offered a fitting tweet: