IJPM symposium to examine independence in the judicial appointments process

Tuesday, October 10, 2006, By News Staff

IJPM symposium to examine independence in the judicial appointments processOctober 10, 2006Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

Can there really be “independent voices” in a judicial appointments process that is shot through with partisan considerations? If so, what is the role of such voices? Has this role changed over time? Are there any nonpartisan actors that ought to be given greater participation in the confirmation of federal judges?

At an Oct. 19 symposium, “The Last Umpires? The News Media, the ABA and Other Independent Voices in the Federal Judicial Confirmation Process,” Steve Tober ’71, LAW’74, former chair of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary; Lee Epstein, Beatrice Kuhn Professor of Law at the Northwestern University School of Law; and Lyle Denniston, reporter for SCOTUSblog, will examine these questions and offer their different perspectives.

“The Last Umpires” is the second in a series of symposia and events sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Judiciary, Politics, and the Media at Syracuse University (IJPM). The panel discussion will begin at 4 p.m. in the Bartlett Room of Newhouse II and will be moderated by Lisa Dolak, SU professor of law and associate director of IJPM. The event is free and open to the public, and will be webcast live through the Institute’s website:http://jpm.syr.edu.

Launched in September 2006, IJPM is an academic institute devoted to the interdisciplinary study of issues at the intersection of law, politics and the media. A collaborative effort of SU’s College of Law, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Institute sponsors lectures, conferences and symposia designed to foster discussion and debate among legal scholars, sitting judges and working journalists.

“The Last Umpires” is co-sponsored by the Sawyer Law and Politics Program at the Maxwell School. For more information, visit the IJPM website:http://jpm.syr.edu.