Professor Larson Comments for The Guardian on Parental Naming Rights
Professor Carlton Larson commented for The Guardian on a California bill that would have rescinded the state's ban on the use of diacritical marks and accents on official documents such as birth certificates. The measure stalled in the Assembly after state agencies estimated it would cost $10 million to update their systems. Professor Larson said that the ban probably would not withstand a court challenge.
"I feel bans on diacritical marks are unconstitutional," said Larson, who wrote about the issue in his article "Naming Baby: The Constitutional Dimensions of Parental Naming Rights" (George Washington Law Review, 2011). "Naming a child is a right that traditionally and historically has fallen to parents."
Carlton Larson's research interests focus on constitutional law and legal history, with a strong emphasis on the 18th century.
"Naming Baby: The Constitutional Dimensions of Parental Naming Rights"