Judicial Insight

Judicial Insight

September 12, 2012
Law Faculty Participate in Supreme Court Panel at the National Association of Women Judges Seminar

On July 27, 2012, the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) hosted a tour at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, followed by a panel that focused on recent highlights from the U.S. Supreme Court's 2012 term. Three University of Richmond School of Law faculty members served on the panel, which was moderated by Dean Wendy Perdue.

Professor Jack Preis discussed the Arizona immigration case, Associate Dean for Faculty Development Corinna Lain discussed the term's most important criminal procedure decisions, and Professor Kevin Walsh analyzed the health care case.

Dean Lain stressed the importance of faculty participation in the NAWJ's programs. "It's incredibly important to have our faculty there in the legal community, talking to the lawyers who will be arguing these sorts of cases and the judges who will be deciding them." She added, "The judges had great questions about the implication of these Supreme Court decisions. They brought a perspective that you can only get through practice."

Professor Preis also enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the judges in attendance. He added, "We need to be connected to the community as much as possible." He also noted the importance of the school covering national issues at a conference sponsored by a national group such as NAJW. "There's a lot happening in Richmond that doesn't concern just Richmond." For Preis, national issues, such as the health care case that was filed in a local Richmond court, emphasize Richmond's place on the national stage.

In September, both Professor Preis and Dean Lain will participate in another Supreme Court review, but this time the audience will be made up of recent law school graduates. The School of Law's Institute for Federal Judicial Law Clerks will provide graduates working as judicial clerks with more in depth information on recent Supreme Court decisions.

The NAWJ tour and panel were sponsored by the Virginia Bar Association, University of Richmond School of Law, Jackson Lewis and the American Constitution Society.