The UMKC Law School hosted a conference about party lines in the judicial system.

Judges discuss partisanship

By: Alexia Lang

Posted: 9/15/08

The UMKC School of Law helped shed some light on the politics of the judicial system last Friday at the "Red State v. Blue State: The Judicial Role in an Era of Partisanship" conference.

The keynote speaker for the event was Suzanne Reynolds, professor at the Wake Forest School of Law and current Democratic candidate for the North Carolina Supreme Court.

She spoke to the audience gathered in the Law School's E. E. Thompson Courtroom about the lack of candidates who commit to issues for fear of upsetting voters, the partisan structure of the judicial system and her own personal experiences campaigning and teaching law.

"I don't know if candidates are remaining silent in order to not upset voters," she said. "If they are, that is not a good thing."

She said she decided to run for the North Carolina Supreme Court after noticing a high number of candidates running for office, while refusing to openly commit to stances on issues.

Reynolds was a principal drafter of a statute modernizing the law of alimony and adoption and co-founder of a domestic violence program that received national recognition from the American Bar Association for providing legal assistance for the poor.

Reynolds also talked about ways the parties educate voters about issues. Flyers, symposiums, conferences, television and radio interviews are the main avenues used to distribute information.

Professor June Carbone, the Edward A. Smith/Missouri Chair of Law, the Constitution and Society at UMKC's Law School, organized the event.

Carbone said in a press release the intention of the conference was to examine how partisanship affects the operation of the courts, how to evaluate the intrinsically subjective topic of judicial effectiveness and how judicial decision-making has changed in response to partisan attacks.

"We have planned the conference to drive home the point that partisan divisions affect the gamut of cases, from high profile cases on abortion to the more numerous family law disputes on custody and cohabitation," Carbone said.

Three moderated discussions led by leading law experts were held during the full-day conference.

Naomi Cahn, professor at George Washington University Law School; Vivian Hamilton, professor at William and Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law; Linda McClain, professor at the Boston University School of Law, and Carbone discussed "Values Polarization and the Judicial Role."

The panel for a talk on "Judging and Politics" included Mitu Gulati, professor at Duke University School of Law; Bradley Joondeph, professor at Santa Clara University School of Law; Dean David Levi, dean of the Duke University School of Law and former district judge; and Neil Siegel, professor at Duke University School of Law.

Lastly, the Hon. Jon R. Gray, retired Missouri circuit judge; the Hon. Ortrie Smith, United States District Judge (appointed by President Bill Clinton); the Hon. Melissa Taylor-Standridge, who received her juris doctorate from UMKC; and the Hon. Laura Denvir Stith, currently serving a two-year term as Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, discussed "Judicial Independence in a Time of Partisanship."

Law professionals were able to earn seven hours of Continuing Legal Education by attending the conference.

alang@unews.com