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September 20, 2005 - Center sponsors UIS’ first U.S. Constitution Day Forum

The Center sponsored UIS’ first U.S. Constitution Day Forum on September 19, 2005. The topic, "Politics, the Constitution, and Supreme Court Appointments,” was chosen due to the national attention focused on the U.S. Supreme Court and the nomination of Judge John Roberts for Chief Justice. The forum featured keynote speaker Martin H. Redish, Professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law. Professor Redish discussed the role of the Supreme Court in American constitutional democracy. He focused on the unique position of the Court as the pinnacle of the one branch of the federal government purposefully insulated from democratic influence. That results in the need for the Court to walk the narrow line between issues of constitutional interpretation, on the one hand, and matters of purely ideological and political concern, on the other. He also discussed the future of Supreme Court appointments. Honorable Jeanne E. Scott, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of Illinois, and Pinky S. Wassenberg, Interim Dean, College of Public Affairs and Administration and Professor of Political Studies, commented on Professor Reddish's analysis. The forum was moderated by Douglas Anderson, UIS Legal Counsel. Barbara Ferrara, Interim Director of the Center, gave the opening remarks.