As always, Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the School of Law at University of California, Berkeley, will analyze the Supreme Court’s decisions over the past year. There will be a program commemorating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of the most significant pieces of legislation since Reconstruction. On the Act’s 60th anniversary, this distinguished panel will explore its legacy and meaning today. Another panel will highlight the role of lawyers in defending unpopular causes. Captain William Prescott, in March 1770, ordered his troops to open fire on Boston protesters. John Adams put his reputation on the line to defend Captain Prescott, serving as an early demonstration of equal justice under the law. This program will reenact key parts of the trial and the need to defend, under the law, even those causes that are unpopular.
A panel will discuss the role of state courts within the shifting dynamics of federal constitutional law. The U.S. Constitution was designed in part to solve problems that arise in all states by providing a uniform announcement of rights for all citizens. Recent Supreme Court decisions such as Dobbs have changed the dynamics and put issues normally decided on a national level within the purview of state courts to be interpreted based on state constitutional law. This panel will delve into these issues and examine what authority the Supreme Court has reserved for itself should it want to review a decision by a state’s highest court on a question of state constitutional law. Another panel will explore the increasingly important role of state attorneys general in our national landscape, as they advance legal challenges to federal policies. Panelists will address the mechanics behind state involvement in federal litigation – including the evolving problem of standing.
An independent judiciary is a pillar of our democracy. Yet, the judiciary’s independence is constantly under attack and criticized by politicians, the public, and the media. The Education Committee is working on several programs that examine threats to judicial independence and transparency of the judiciary. The panels will examine whether transparency is improved by allowing cameras in the courtroom, providing free access to public dockets, and disclosing more information about a judge’s personal life, such as finances. Also, social-media influences, online publications, and traditional media outlets bring appellate courts to the public, creating a new level of transparency in the appellate system. A panel will explore whether strong and protracted media coverage enhances transparency. Finally, “the press has a preferred position in our constitutional scheme, not to enable it to make money, not to set newsmen apart as a favored class, but to bring fulfillment to the public’s right to know.” Can the media facilitate public understanding of what courts do and enhance the integrity and independence of the judicial branch? Also, are adversary nations eroding public trust in the American legal system? These questions and more will be examined.
Another panel will address whether, as a profession, we stand firm, shift, or stop diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Students for Fair Admissions. The Education Committee also wants to further the discussion of how to treat the LGBTQ community respectfully in the courts and facilitate an understanding of the LGBTQ community.
In addition, there will be numerous breakout sessions covering law and linguistics; practical, policy, and constitutional implications of fines and fees footing the bill of justice; shaping the record for appeal; e-briefing; an oral-argument primer; and appellate judges’ sua sponte exercise of decisional discretion.
Please mark your calendars for the 2024 Summit in Boston this November 14-17. Registration will be available on the National Judicial College website, and scholarships will be available for a limited time.
I look forward to seeing you there!