2021 is here. Typically, Appellate Issues rings in the new year by publishing a robust edition covering the breadth and depth of programs offered at the most recent AJEI Summit. But this new year follows an unprecedented year in 2020. Like so many other in-person gatherings, in the interest of health and safety, the Summit was canceled. Keeping with the times, AJEI offered a virtual mini Summit. And keeping with tradition, this edition of Appellate Issues includes articles covering presentations from the virtual mini Summit, namely Dean Erwin Chemerinsky’s Supreme Court Review, including coverage of civil and criminal cases. Ever popular, this year Dean Chemerinsky’s virtual program drew an astounding 2,000+ worldwide attendees.
Further reflective of the current times, this edition also includes a book review of Adam Cohen’s Supreme Inequality (something to read during quarantine?); an article providing sage advice concerning protecting the appellate record during now-ubiquitous virtual court proceedings (which may be here to stay on some level); an article about running a successful virtual appellate practice (applicable during a pandemic and beyond); and finally, given the renewed emphasis on connecting virtually, an in-depth article about staying connected in a disconnected world through LinkedIn.
I hope these articles are useful and that you are safe and well while reading them. As always, thank you for your readership, and please email me if you would like to write for a future edition of Appellate Issues.