Catholic University Law Review's annual symposium "Celebrating the 230th Anniversary of the Judiciary Act of 1789 and Reflecting on the Challenges of Our Federal Justice System" provided an opportunity for students, faculty, and practitioners to hear from experts regarding the current state of our federal judicial system and consider the major challenges the Third Branch faces in ensuring justice in the future.
The February 1 event opened with introductory remarks by McKenzie Miller (3L), Editor-in-Chief of Catholic University Law Review Vol. 68. The program consisted of two panel discussions and a keynote speech from The Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Judge and former Director of the Federal Judicial Center. Rothstein is a visiting United States District Judge from the Western District of Washington. Rothstein most recently served as Director of the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C. From 1987-1994, she was chief judge of the Western District of Washington. Prior to her appointment to the federal bench in 1980, she served as a King County Superior Court judge for the State of Washington. She has presided over many complex and controversial criminal and civil cases.
Judge Rothstein has trained judges and lawyers in many countries helping to improve the rule of law and the role of an independent judiciary. She has presided over many complex and controversial criminal and civil cases. She has served on a variety of committees including the Federal-State Relations Committee of the United States Judicial Conference and the Ninth Circuit Standing Committee on Gender, Race, Religious and Ethnic Fairness.
Panel 1: Our Federal Court System Today
Moderator: Stanley E. Woodward Jr. '08, Counsel, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, Adjunct Professor, The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
Panelists: Lee Kovarsky, Professor of Law, University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law; Phillip Citroën, Associate, Paul Hastings; Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, CATO Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies; Paul Taylor, Minority Lead Counsel, House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice; Anisha Singh, Senior Organizing Director, Generation Progress
Panel 2: Future Challenges Facing Our Federal Courts
Moderator: Megan M. LaBelle, Professor of Law, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Co-Director, Law and Technology Institute
Panelists: Michael Ellement, '13, Associate, Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC; Matthew Kaiser, Founding Partner, KaiserDillon PLLC, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center, Member, ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary; Ian Millhiser, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Suzette Malveaux, Provost Professor of Civil Rights Law, University of Colorado, Director, Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law
Following the panel discussions, Maria Natera (3L) and Katie Culora (3L), Leader Article Editors of Catholic University Law Review Vol. 68 provided closing remarks and thanked the audience, panelists, and University. The panelists and attendees then continued their discussion at a reception in the atrium.
