Brooklyn Law School Assistant Professor of Law Christina Mulligan, who recently joined the faculty of the Law School where she will be teaching Internet Law, Cybercrime, and Intellectual Property, has co-authored an interesting new article. Written with Michael Douma of James Madison University, Hans Lind of Yale University, and Brian Patrick Quinn, the article is entitled Founding-Era Translations of the United States Constitution. It is posted on SSRN. The abstract reads:
Before its ratification, the United States Constitution was translated into German and Dutch for the German- and Dutch-speaking populations of Pennsylvania and New York. Although copies of both the German- and Dutch-language translations have been preserved, they have largely escaped analysis — and public awareness — until now. This paper provides historical context for these translations and analyzes how they might aid our interpretation of the U.S. Constitution in the present day.
Supplemental to this article is an appendix containing the German and Dutch translations, as well as extensive commentary on the translations, also available at SSRN at this link.
