I teach public law at the University of Glasgow and my research focuses on law and its relationship to language. I love dogs! 🐶♥️ Usual caveats.
Joined November 2012
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I'm very happy to have signed a book contract with the wonderful @hartpublishing 🥳. The book is provisionally titled 'Speaking Through Time: Law, Language, and Originalism' and many of the key ideas are summarised here: legalphi.wordpress.com/2022/…
Martin David Kelly retweeted
Thanks to @lsolum for highly recommending my paper ‘Keeping it Real in Constitutional Theory’ as a ‘deep and important paper’! It’s now ‘download of the week’ on the Legal Theory blog, which is an incredible resource for legal scholars everywhere legaltheoryblog.com/2025/11/…
Kavanagh on Realism in Constitutional Theory, legaltheoryblog.com/2025/11/… - Aileen Kavanagh (Trinity College (Dublin)) has posted Keeping it Real in Constitutional Theory (Comparative Constitutional Studies, volume 1, issue 2) on SSRN.
Great to see that @routledgebooks has published 'Language for Legislation and Legislation through Language' (routledge.com/Language-for-L…) with a chapter by me on 'Tense Aspects of Legislative Drafting' (an earlier version of which is available here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.…) @uofglaw.
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In my chapter, I explore how legislative drafters should approach choosing tense and aspect when drafting Bills. Many thanks to the editors - Tímea Drinóczi, Giulia Pennisi, and Helen Xanthaki - for inviting me to contribute, and especially to Tímea for her comments on my chapter
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For a short video introduction to the book, by Tímea, see here: youtube.com/watch?v=9MECquZd…
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Heading to Dublin - looking forward to this! ☘️
Join us at 4pm on Sept 22nd for a @TriCONDublin workshop on ‘Statutory Interpretation in Ireland and the World’ with papers from Profs @OrentaOren, Martin J Kelly, Hilary Hogan @MaynoothLaw, & @FinnKeyes, comments by David Fennelly, chaired by @AileenFKavanagh
I had great fun talking to the Government Legal Service for Scotland lawyers about the notion that laws are 'always speaking' 👍
Saw @Philosophy_Law in action today on 'The law is always speaking' -- excited for his book on it :)
I'm very happy to share that, after 12.5 years teaching at Edinburgh, in September I'll be moving to the Public Law team at the University of Glasgow. I'm honoured to be joining such a great team of scholars in this amazing Law School, and I'm looking forward to this new chapter.
Martin David Kelly retweeted
Author copies arrived 📚 A great way to ring in the new year. Retweet if you'd like to enter a draw to win a free copy. I'll send one to the lucky winner after 6 Jan (will dm you).
ALT Peter Candy unboxing his new book, 'Ancient Maritime Loan Contracts'
This is happening! Edinburgh and London done, next stop Singapore.
Martin David Kelly retweeted
I'm really looking forward to the 'Just' Jurisprudence workshop in Bristol, organized by @saharatlarge @drjoshdoeslaw & @GlexAreen w Vidya Kumar @ruawall @dicksonjulie1 @Lzucca @mortonjen Margaret Davies Joanne Conaghan Kimberley Brayson Roger Cotterrell, Rebecca Tsosie & more.
Martin David Kelly retweeted
On 22 November, @FilippaRonquist (UCL) will be presenting her paper 'Authority and Categorical Reasons' as part of the LPT Seminar Series. It's an excellent paper. A must for those interested in practical authority! Register here: bit.ly/4ec7Tvq
Martin David Kelly retweeted
My favorite part about farmers market is when cutting the middleman out makes the veggies more expensive
Martin David Kelly retweeted
The Simpsons on PhD students - almost twenty years old & more cutting than ever
Martin David Kelly retweeted
When asked how fascism starts, Bertrand Russell replied: "First they fascinate the fools. Then they muzzle the intelligent."
Why do airlines tell us that we ‘can disembark using both the forward and the rear doors’? Does anyone get off the plane then get back on again to use the other exit? Or split themselves in half? It’s *either* the forward *or* the rear door! @Scott_Wortley
