Law School conference to include Supreme Court justices, English jurists
By Jessica Scrimale, ’07
Distinguished British and American jurists, including a Supreme Court justice, legal scholars, students and lawyers will convene April 11-14 at Richmond School of Law for the Rule of Law Conference, an event that is part of the series “Foundations and Future of Democracy.”
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, The Rt. Hon. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers (Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales), William Slate III, president of the American Arbitration Association, and Kenneth Starr, dean of the Pepperdine University School of Law, are among the conference participants.
Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain are honorary chairs of the series, which is a yearlong effort by universities across the state to host conferences that explore elements of successful democracies and the future of democracy in America and abroad.
The conference will explore the core meaning of rule of law from various cultural and academic perspectives, according to Law School Dean Rodney Smolla.
“Rule of law is central to the human quest for justice, stability and peace,” said Smolla. “Its key ingredients include a commitment to independent courts, transparent public institutions, elementary human rights and democratic participation.”
The conference will be held in conjunction with ongoing Jamestown 400th anniversary celebrations commemorating the establishment of the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown in 1607.
The 400th anniversary is significant to the conference because it “conjures the special and unique relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States,” said Smolla. “We are blessed with the shared heritage of Magna Carta. ... We are united in our common hope for a future in which the rule of law reigns throughout the globe.”
Key issues to be covered at the conference include religious freedom, due process, free speech, international dispute resolution and cultural differences. Moderators will guide panels of speakers in discussions about topics such as “Human Rights in China and Rule of Law,” “Global Issues and the Rule of Law” and “Rule of Law and the Displacement of Native Americans.”
Breyer will participate in a discussion of “Global Issues and the Rule of Law,” April 11 at 4 p.m. in Camp Concert Hall.
Elaine Jones, former president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund will present The Oliver Hill Social Justice Award to Oliver Hill on his 100th birthday. Hill is a Civil Rights activist and attorney who argued Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward (Va.).
The conference will culminate with an April 14 excursion to Jamestown, where U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, honorary chair of the nationwide 400th anniversary series, and Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers will lead a final celebration of the Anglo-American commitment to the rule of law.
The conference will encourage discussion of important issues surrounding the rule of law. According to Smolla, “as thoughtful people from all societies and cultures contemplate the future of the rule of law, it is incumbent on all of us to at once embrace the cornerstones principles of due process, equality, religious liberty, freedom of conscience and expression, and democracy, while at the same time remaining respectful of the many cultural, historical and political differences that inevitably influence the shape of legal systems in any just society.”
The conference is open to the public, and events, excluding meals, are free, according to Roberta Sachs, associate dean of the law school. Registration information is located on the Law School Web site.