“Crisis in the Judiciary” symposium spotlights state court threats, potential remedies
(Boston, Revised-12/3/12) New England Law | Boston: New England Law Review’s fall symposium, "Crisis in the Judiciary,” addressed the deep fiscal challenges faced by American state court systems. Many civil and criminal matters remain idle for years before a judicial resolution is reached, and strained budgets impact the administration of justice. Experts from various sectors of the legal community considered these issues and worked to highlight viable solutions on Thursday, November 15, in New England Law | Boston’s Cherry Room.
UNH School of Law Dean John Broderick will deliver the keynote address.The symposium was co-sponsored by the Boston Bar Association (BBA). New England Law | Boston is the only law school in Massachusetts to offer students a free, one-year membership to the BBA. Members of the graduating class have access to hundreds of free educational programs, networking opportunities, and social events.
“An adequately funded state court system is absolutely vital for all of us,” said Jeffrey D. Knight ’13, the law review’s business managing editor. “If we fall short of giving our state judiciaries the tools they need to discharge their duties, then we have succeeded only in building the surest lock while having forgotten to craft a single key. This symposium brought critical focus to this important issue.”
Panel I, “A State Court System in Financial Crisis,” presented a wide variety of perspectives on the issue of state court funding. Panelists included Hon. Robert J. Cordy, associate justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and New England Law adjunct professor; Stewart Aaron, partner, Porter & Arnold, LLP, president, New York County Lawyers’ Association; Paul T. Dacier, executive vice president and general counsel, EMC Corporation; Dean Emeritus Jon L. Mills, University of Florida Levin College of Law; Professor David A. Hoffman, Harvard Law School, founder, Boston Law Collaborative, LLC; and Harry Spence, court administrator, Massachusetts Trial Courts. New England Law Professor Jordan Singer moderated the discussion.
Panel II: “Benchmarking ‘Justice on a Budget,’” examined specialized cases of state funding crises and showcased several interesting theories on how they might be averted. Panelists included Professor Donald Campbell, Mississippi College School of Law; Professor Martha Davis, Northeastern University School of Law; Dr. Roger Hartley, Western Carolina University; Professor Marie D. Natoli, Emmanuel College; and Lee Suskin, former administrator, Vermont State Courts. Hon. William I. Cowin, justice, Massachusetts Court of Appeals (ret.) moderated.
A luncheon keynote address was given by Dean John Broderick, University of New Hampshire School of Law. Dean Broderick formerly served as chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. He addressed New England Law’s 2010 Commencement, during which he was granted an honorary degree.
Additional information including panelist bios is available at http://newenglrev.com/symposia/vol_47_fall_symposium/.
For more information regarding this event, please contact Jeffrey D. Knight, ’13, business managing editor, jeffrey.d.knight@nesl.edu; (561) 601-4211.