We made it to 2022. And we made it to the return of the in-person Summit, which means the return of the annual Summit edition of Appellate Issues. Although the 2020 Summit turned into a virtual mini-Summit, in November 2021, attendees were once again able to gather together in person—with safety precautions in place—to hear from a deep bench of talented jurists and practitioners on a wide array of topics. Although it was postponed one year due to the pandemic, the Austin, Texas edition of the Summit will go down as one for the ages.
As you will see from this collection of articles, the 2021 Summit reflected on important themes such as a tribute to women in the legal profession, including celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment; courage in judicial decision-making; storytelling as an art for judges and advocates; managing stress in the legal profession; and several panels touching upon the Supreme Court, including a discussion of the shadow docket and Dean Chemerinsky’s annual Supreme Court Civil and Criminal Reviews.
This robust edition would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of the Appellate Issues editorial board. To that end, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Caitlin Mitchell, Nathan Wilson, and Rebekah Meier Wilson for their assistance in reviewing and editing our amazing slate of articles. And extra kudos to Caitlin for her in-person author recruiting efforts in Austin. Without her dedication, several of the panels would have gone un-memorialized.
Recognizing that many would-be attendees elected not to attend in person in 2021 (due to ongoing pandemic and other concerns), we hope this robust Summit edition provides a deep dive into the programming that will help fill the void until the November 2022 Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. Whether you attended the Summit and are revisiting some of your favorite panels or were unable to attend and are learning about the presentations for the first time, I hope you enjoy these articles.
Thank you for your ongoing readership and support during these challenging times. If this edition has inspired you to write an article for a future edition of Appellate Issues, please email me.
Nancy M. Olson
Editor