2024 Agenda

6:30 – 8 p.m. OPENING RECEPTION

• Remarks by World Justice Project, Elizabeth “Betsy” Andersen, Executive Director of the World Justice Project

7:45-8:30 BREAKFAST

8:30-8:45 WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS

• Roman Silberfeld, Esq., Robins Kaplan LLP; Past President, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Hon. Benes Z. Aldana (Ret.), President & CEO, The National Judicial College
• Hon. J. Michelle Childs, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, President, Federal Judges Association
• Hon. Julie J. Bernard, Board of Trustees Chair, Flaschner Judicial Institute

8:45–9:15 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

• Prof. Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law & Political Science, Yale University Law School

9:15-9:30 BREAK

9:30-11:00 CHAMPIONING THE RULE OF LAW: THE ROLE OF STATE CONSTITUTIONS
This panel discussion will consider the preservation of individual rights and liberties and distill insights from the existence in our constitutional republic of not just a federal constitution and its interpretations by SCOTUS but of 51 state constitutions as interpreted by 51 different judiciaries.

• Hon. David N. Wecht, Associate Justice, Pennsylvania Supreme Court
• Hon. Geraldine Hines (Ret.), Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
• Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
• Prof. Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law & Political Science, Yale University Law School

11:00-11:15 BREAK

11:15-12:45 THE JUDICIARY AND THE BAR: REVIVING THE BAR’S CRITICAL ROLE IN PRESERVING THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY
The strictures of judicial ethics impair the ability of judges to defend themselves from often unwarranted and unfair criticism and attack. The organized Bar, which does not suffer from those same ethical constraints, is critical to defending the judiciary and educating the public. This panel will discuss ways in which the Bar can fulfill and improve upon that role.

• Karen C. Burgess, Esq., Burgess Law PC, President-Elect, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Hon. Leigh I. Saufley, Dean, University of Maine School of Law
• Hon. Paul L. Reiber, Chief Justice, Vermont Supreme Court
• Anthony A. Froio, Esq., Regional Managing Partner, Robins Kaplan LLP
• Anna Mercado Clark, Esq., Phillips Lytle, LLP, President, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

12:45-1:45 LUNCH BREAK

• Book signing by Prof. Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law & Political Science, Yale University Law School

1:45-3:15 THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF A FREE AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA The vital role played by the media in the continued health and survival of democracy will be explored by this panel. While smaller, independent news outlets have been in decline for many years, even to the verge of extinction, growing public dissatisfaction, skepticism, and distrust of corporate media have created opportunities for the resurgence of free and independent media.

• Hon. Mark V. Green, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Appeals Court
• Hon. Michael G. Heavican, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Nebraska
• Rachelle G. Cohen, Assistant Editorial Page Editor, The Boston Globe
• Hon. Fredric D. Rutberg (Ret.), President, Massachusetts Newspapers Publishers Association and President/Publisher, The Berkshire Eagle

3:15-3:30 BREAK

3:30-5:00 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: RESOURCE OR THREAT TO DEMOCRACY?
From deepfake videos, to entrenchment of subtle biases and prejudices, to online bots manipulating public discourse by feigning consensus and disseminating disinformation, AI raises a variety of concerns for the legal system, including manipulation or fabrication of evidence, reinforcing racial and ethnic stereotypes in sentencing or pretrial release, and adversely affecting access to justice by exacerbating the “digital divide.” This panel will explore these issues.

• Hon. Robert J. Torres, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Guam
• Hon. Edwina G. Richardson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, New York State Unified Court System
• Hon. Thomas A. Zonay, Chief Judge, Vermont Superior Court
• Jack Cushman, Esq., Director, Harvard Library Innovation Lab
• Makalika D. Naholowa’a, Executive Director, Native Hawaiian Legal Corp and President, National Native American Bar Association

5:00-5:25 CLOSING REMARKS

• Professor Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science,
  Yale University Law School

5:25-5:30 ADJOURNMENT Hon. Benes Z. Aldana (Ret.) & Roman Silberfeld