Don't Miss These Topics at the Annual Meeting: Judicial Independence and Scientific Evidence
Major CLE
Judicial Independence: Alive and Well or on the Rocks?
Moderators: Kendall Harrison, Godfrey & Kahn, Madison, Wisconsin USA; Patrick J. Loftus, Duane Morris LLP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
An independent judiciary is the cornerstone of the rule of law. Understanding this, the framers of the U.S. Constitution sought
to preserve federal judicial independence through appointment and life tenure. Seeking the same ends, the 50 States and other
countries have adopted a variety of methods for selecting their judges. Are the various systems of judicial selection working? Are some better than others? Are we getting high quality jurists free
from the influence of politics and money? Are judicial elections hopelessly broken and/ or inappropriately dominated by third party influences? Do we need radical reform, modest change or nothing at all? Join our esteemed panel for a lively discussion of these topics and more.
Speakers:
Hon. Cynthia Baldwin, Former Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Former Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of
Allegheny County, University Park, Pennsylvania USA; Hon. Brent D. Benjamin, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia,
Charleston, West Virginia USA; Peter D. Webster, Carlton Fields, President of the American Judicature Society and Former Judge of the Florida First District Court of Appeal, Tallahassee, Florida USA; Ivan Verougstraete, Former President of the Belgian Supreme Court, Brussels, Belgium
Product Liability, Drug, Device & Biotechnology, and Toxic & Hazardous Substances Litigation
Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence: Take Three
Moderator: Bruce R. Parker, Venable LLP, Baltimore,
Maryland USA
The Reference Manual for Scientific Evidence, published by the Federal Judicial Center, is a tool used by judges in managing cases involving complex scientific and technical evidence. The manual describes key scientific fields from which legal evidence is typically derived, and judges often refer to the manual to help them better understand and evaluate the relevance, reliability and usefulness of the evidence being proffered. The third edition has recently been published, and some have suggested that it seeks
to pull back from the standards in the second edition, and thus will assist the plaintiffs bar. This panel will review the changes and discuss their impact, to assess the correctness of that view.
Speakers:
James F. Rogers, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP,
Columbia, South Carolina USA; James W. Shelson, Phelps
Dunbar LLP, Jackson, Mississippi USA; Jessalyn H. Zeigler,
Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Nashville, Tennessee USA
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