Rehnquist to Address Symposium on Judicial Independence in Honor of Virginia Chief Justice's Retirement
January 27, 2003
Chief Justice William Rehnquist will keynote a symposium on judicial independence honoring Harry L. Carrico, the retiring chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, March 21 at 3 p.m. at the University of Richmond.
The symposium is co-sponsored by the Richmond Bar Association and the University of Richmond School of Law.
At a private luncheon preceding the symposium, Rehnquist will be presented with the School of Law's Green Award for Professional Excellence. Named for one of the original members of the law faculty, the Green Award is the highest honor the law school bestows on a member of the bench or bar. Prior recipients have included the late Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Carrico.
Following Rehnquist's address, a panel of legal scholars will discuss the issue of judicial independence from both historical and philosophical perspectives. The panelists will provide observations on current confirmation fights over judicial nominees in the federal system and the particular dilemmas posed by popular elections of judges in various states.
Participants will include: Kenneth W. Starr, former judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation; H. Jefferson Powell, professor of law at Duke University; and Penny J. White, former justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee and now associate professor of law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Timothy J. Sullivan, president of the College of William and Mary and former dean of its law school, will moderate.
John Pagan, dean of the University of Richmond School of Law, emphasized the importance of the discussion.
"The debate over judicial independence is critical to the future of our legal system," Pagan said. "We are honored to welcome such distinguished scholars to campus to discuss this important issue."
Ann Burks, president of the Richmond Bar Association, said, "We are especially pleased to co-sponsor a symposium in honor of Chief Justice Carrico on a subject so important to the chief justice and to our system of justice."
Carrico became a member of the Supreme Court of Virginia Jan. 30, 1961, and became its chief justice Feb. 1, 1981. Before joining the state Supreme Court, he served as a judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit in Fairfax County. He is the longest-serving member of the state Supreme Court since its reorganization in 1779.
Admission to the luncheon and symposium will be open to invited guests, Richmond Law School faculty, selected students and members of the Richmond Bar Association on a first-come, first-served basis only. The public will be able to view the program on a live webcast on the Internet at http://www.law.richmond.edu from 3-5:15 p.m.