Second Circuit to Sit in Syracuse and Hold ‘Hands Lecture’

By Karen Greve Milton

Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit announced that the Court of Appeals will hold court in the James Hanley Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Syracuse on Friday, April 19, at 10 a.m. The Chief Judge noted that the April 19 sitting marks the first time in its 123-year history that the Court of Appeals will sit in Syracuse.

A three-judge panel of circuit judges will hear oral arguments in the ceremonial courtroom on the third floor of the Hanley Courthouse. (Please note: Restrictions regarding camera coverage in federal court will apply.)

On Thursday, April 18, at 4 p.m., the Second Circuit Committee on History, Commemorative Events and Civic Education will sponsor a Hands Lecture at Drumlins, 800 Nottingham Road. Professor Keith J. Bybee, the Paul E. and Hon. Joanne F. Alper ’72 Judiciary Studies Professor at the College of Law, will speak on the topic “The Rule of Law is Dead! Long Live the Rule of Law!: Conflicting Public Perceptions of the Courts.” Bybee is the author of numerous articles and books on topics concerning the judiciary, the judicial process and the courts.

Named after first cousins Learned and Augustus Hand, who sat on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for more than 30 years, this lecture series sponsors addresses by well-known speakers on topics of interest often touching on historical and sociological developments tied directly or indirectly to the judiciary and the bar of the Second Circuit.

The Hands Lecture will be followed by a reception at Drumlins. The Hands Lecture and post-lecture reception are free and open to the public.

“In recent the years, our court has occasionally held oral arguments in the districts outside Manhattan,” Chief Judge Jacobs says. “We are delighted that our court will now be sitting in Syracuse in the Northern District of New York for the first time and that Professor Bybee has agreed to deliver a Hands Lecture to mark the occasion.”

The Second Circuit is composed of 13 federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts in the states of New York, Connecticut and Vermont.