Join us on Friday, October 16, 2020, for an exciting exploration of the Pennsylvania Constitution! Judicial engagement is the belief that the courts should not defer to the political branches when examining whether those branches have violated the law. This is usually discussed with the U.S. Constitution in mind. But Pennsylvania has a constitution too! And Pennsylvania judges interpret the state’s constitution and apply it against state and local governments. What should judges do in those cases? And what in the state’s constitution have we forgotten about and need to reaffirm and reinvigorate?
Join us to hear from a diverse and eminent group of constitutional lawyers, academics, and a judge in a wide-ranging discussion on judicial engagement and the Pennsylvania Constitution, including a keynote address by Howard Bashman of How Appealing and Above the Law. We will be offering at least 2 hours of Pennsylvania CLE.
The event is co-sponsored with the Federalist Society’s Philadelphia Lawyers Chapter.
*Note: this is a virtual event*
Handouts for PA Judicial Engagement Forum
Agenda
12:30-12:45 p.m. Opening Remarks
Anthony Sanders, Director of the Center for Judicial Engagement
12:45- 1:15 p.m. Keynote Address
Howard J. Bashman, Law Offices of Howard J. Bashman
1:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. Panel I: Should Pennsylvania Courts Defer Less to the Government in Interpreting the Pennsylvania Constitution? If “Yes,” How So?
Robert F. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus
Seth Kreimer, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Andrew Ward, Attorney at the Institute for Justice
Moderator: Darpana Sheth, Vice President of Litigation at FIRE
2:45 p.m.- 3:45 p.m. Panel II: What Provisions in the Pennsylvania Constitution Should We Be Enforcing (But Don’t)
John Hare, Marshall Dennehey
Mark Aronchick, Shareholder at Hangley, Aronchick, Segal, Pudlin, & Schiller
David Osborne, CEO of Americans for Fair Treatment
Moderator: The Honorable Joshua Wolson, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
3:45 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Closing Remarks