Feb. 15, 2013

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at conference

Thomas Jefferson School of Law held its 13th annual Women and the Law Conference on Feb. 8 on its new campus in downtown San Diego. The conference, titled "Her Honor: Women in the Judiciary," celebrated women judges and examined their importance to the legal system. Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg was featured in an afternoon qusestion and answer session. Questions posed to Justice Ginsburg touched on whether a president should appoint supreme court justices who are easily confirmable, what effect female justices have had on the nation's highest court, and her thoughts on the failed Equal Rights Amendment to be ratified. Ginsburg also spoke of her hopes that the high court will someday overrule the controversial Citizens United decision the court rendered. In response to the speculation that the 80-year-old justice might be planning to retire, she said, "I'm going to do this job as long as I am able to do it." The conference also featured the Ruth Bader Ginsburg lecture by Professor Susan Williams, the Walter W. Foskett professor of law and director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, who is a former clerk of Ginsburg. In her lecture, "Women and Judging: A Feminist Approach to Judgment and the Issue of Customary Law," Williams explained the co-existence in many nations, especially in Africa, of two sets of laws – constitutional and a customary system. Williams cited Liberia as a country where women have few rights and the customary systems often discriminate against women – despite the fact that Liberia's constitution outlaws discrimination against women. "Lasting change is only possible when women in their system exercise power in that system – when women become judges in customary systems," said Williams. "A paradigm shift is needed. Women must be the makers and members of that system." The event also featured the discussion panel, "Global perspectives on women and the judiciary." The panel was moderated by Thomas Jefferson School of Law Professor Bryan Wildenthal and featured former Chief Justice of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court Carlos Ayres Britto; former French Supreme Court Justice Noëlle Lenoir; Assistant Dean Leslie Kuan-Hsi Wang of the Zhejiang University Guanghua Law School in Hangzhou China and Professor Nienke Grossman of Baltimore School of Law. A second discussion panel focused on "Domestic perspectives on women and the judiciary." Following the conference, a reception was held at the law school.