Stevens Lecture

A Constitutional Call to Arms, The Hon. Carlos F. Lucero

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 06:00:00 +0000

A Constitutional Call to Arms, The Hon. Carlos F. Lucero Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/27/2018 - 00:00

2018 John Stevens Lecture

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New York’s Former Chief Judge to Discuss Access to Justice Sept. 26

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 17:48:52 +0000

New York’s Former Chief Judge to Discuss Access to Justice Sept. 26 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/11/2017 - 11:48

Jonathan Lippman, former chief judge of New York and a pioneer in addressing access to justice, will deliver the sixth annual John Paul Stevens Lecture. Hosted by the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law at the University of Colorado Law School, Lippman’s talk will focus on “Changing the Dialogue on Access to Justice.”

The lecture will take place Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Carr Judicial Center in Denver. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To register, visit the RSVP page by Tuesday, Sept. 19.

“I am thrilled that Chief Judge Lippman will be joining us in Colorado to share his insights on how to address the justice gap,” said Melissa Hart, professor of law and director of the White Center. “Under his leadership, New York made enormous strides in increasing civil access to justice and making the courts work for people. The Colorado legal community is actively grappling with how we can do better in these areas, and Chief Judge Lippman’s experience and ideas will be an invaluable resource as we work together to close the justice gap in our own state.”

Lippman served as chief judge of the state of New York and chief judge of the Court of Appeals from Feb. 2009 through Dec. 2015. In these roles, he championed equal access to justice issues in New York and around the country and led the way in identifying permanent funding streams for civil legal services. His key accomplishments include leading New York to become the first state to require 50 hours of law-related pro bono work prior to bar admission and establishing the Pro Bono Scholars and Poverty Justice Solutions programs to help alleviate the crisis in civil legal services. He also strengthened the state's indigent criminal defense system, addressed the systemic causes of wrongful convictions, created human trafficking courts across New York, and led efforts to reform the state’s juvenile justice, bail and pre-trial justice systems. In 2008, Lippman received the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, presented each year by the chief justice of the United States to a state court judge who exemplifies the highest level of judicial excellence, integrity, fairness, and professional ethics.

The annual Stevens Lecture brings a distinguished jurist to Colorado to lead a public discussion of judging and the judicial system. On Sept. 2, 2016, Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited ��«��Ƶ and participated in a Q&A conversation with more than 1,500 participants for the fifth annual Stevens Lecture. Past jurists have been Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O’Connor and the late Antonin Scalia. Previous attendance numbers have exceeded 1,000 people, with additional audiences watching via live video stream at the Wolf Law Building on campus and satellite locations at other colleges and universities throughout Colorado.

For more information about the White Center and the Stevens Lecture, please visit colorado.edu/law/whitecenter.

Jonathan Lippman, former chief judge of New York and a pioneer in addressing access to justice, will deliver the sixth annual John Paul Stevens Lecture.

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Justice Sotomayor Addresses Large Crowds with Message of Perseverance

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 15:56:28 +0000

Justice Sotomayor Addresses Large Crowds with Message of Perseverance Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:56

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, appointed in 2009 as the first Hispanic member on the bench of the nation’s highest court, spoke during a fireside chat-style event to an audience of nearly 1,800 at CU ��«��Ƶ’s Macky Auditorium on Sept. 2.   

Justice Sotomayor, a self-described antsy type whose mother called her "aji," or chili pepper, walked the aisles of the hall, shaking people’s hands as she reflected on questions submitted by audience members and presented by law Professor Melissa Hart.

  Hosted by the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law, which is directed by Hart, Justice Sotomayor spoke on everything from the three books that have had the greatest impact on her, including the Bible, Don Quixote and Lord of the Flies, to the biggest surprise about her job, how hard it is. She discussed which types of cases are most difficult to decide—those involving statutes, or laws made legislatively, versus those involving constitutional questions—and the process of writing, both in the legal and literary realms.

A believer that no one succeeds by him or herself, the justice responded with words of wisdom on how to thrive, especially for people of color, with a description of overcoming discouragement from others with self-worth and determination.

"You have to say, 'What you believe about me is not what’s important, what’s important is what I believe about myself,'" she said. “For every brick wall that stands in your path, you can work with others to knock it down, or figure out a way around it."

Third-year Colorado Law student Tyler Park, who is specializing in telecom and technology law with an international focus on Latin America, was particularly excited to hear Sotomayor speak.  

"She is legal royalty, one of the titans of our profession," said Park. "Justice Sotomayor in particular is a justice who I am fascinated by because she is a newer appointment and has an interesting perspective on what it has been like over the past few years to be on the court, and she will be on the bench for a large part of my lifetime.

  "To have our school be one of the few that a Supreme Court justice will visit this year means a lot to me," he said. "I am proud to be a member of this school."

Also in attendance were over 300 high school students from Del Norte, Wray, Longmont, Fort Collins and other parts of Colorado. Many high school and law students were able to attend a private session and lunch, hosted by CU’s Office of Outreach and Engagement, with Justice Sotomayor before the public conversation.

Justice Sotomayor’s appearance, which was live-streamed to hundreds more at CU ��«��Ƶ’s Wolf Law Building, CU Denver, CU Anschutz and CU South Denver, marked the White Center’s fifth John Paul Stevens Lecture.

The event nearly annually brings a distinguished jurist to the CU ��«��Ƶ campus. The past jurists have been Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O’Connor and the late Antonin Scalia.

Justice Sotomayor said of the event’s namesake, Justice Stevens, that his tutelage, when the pair overlapped by about a year on the SCOTUS bench, was invaluable to her, calling the retired jurist "an extraordinary servant to our Constitution."

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A Conversation with Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:00:00 +0000

A Conversation with Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/19/2012 - 00:00

2012 Stevens Lecture

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Byron White—Hero and Scholar: Reflections Punishment, Political Speech, and Public Liability, Justice John Paul Stevens (Ret.)

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Byron White—Hero and Scholar: Reflections Punishment, Political Speech, and Public Liability, Justice John Paul Stevens (Ret.) Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/22/2011 - 00:00

2011 Stevens Lecture

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