Constitution Day: How Justices Are Chosen for the Supreme Court, Sept. 17
September 14, 2009
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
A close look at the selection and confirmation process for Supreme Court justices—most recently witnessed during the hearings for new Justice Sonia Sotomayor—will highlight the University of Baltimore School of Law's annual Constitution Day event on Thursday, Sept. 17. It will feature a panel discussion led by UB law faculty, including a professor who is a former clerk for one of the nine Justices. "Judicial Selection and the Supreme Court" will take place in the School of Law's Moot Court Room, 1415 Maryland Ave., beginning at 11:45 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The panelists, including C.J. Peters, professor of law; Elizabeth Samuels, professor of law; and Thiru Vignarajah, adjunct professor and former clerk for Justice Stephen G. Breyer, will focused on judicial selection, the confirmation process and the Supreme Court. They will consider whether the process is truly effective, and whether changing it could promote the democratic process. UB School of Law Dean Phillip J. Closius will moderate the discussion.
Constitution Day is an annual national celebration designed to renew the nation's familiarity with the tenets of its founding document. On Sept. 17, 1787, the Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution.
Seating for "Judicial Selection and the Supreme Court" will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.