Judicial Ethics – Public Trust in the Courts

Resource person: Audra Bullard - office@clehighlands.com

Description:

One of the foundations of democracy is a judicial system that fairly and impartially enforces the rule of law. Acceptance of the work of the judiciary rests on public trust promoted by public trials, the right to counsel, written opinions and orders, impartial juries, the correction of errors through appellate review, and critically, the impartiality and independence of the judges who preside over legal proceedings. Judicial codes of ethics are one means of assuring the latter qualities. While these codes add additional safeguards to protect the public, some on both sides of the political spectrum question their effectiveness. Perhaps the most glaring question has been the lack, until very recently, of a code applicable to the United States Supreme Court. Judge Jed Rakoff, with 28 years of experience as a federal district court judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, will explore the role of codes of judicial ethics generally and the significance of the Supreme Court’s adoption for the first time in its institutional history of its own code of conduct -- with serious limitations.

Presenter: Judge Jed S. Rakoff has served since March 1996 as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. He frequently sits by designation on the 2nd and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeals. His most noteworthy decisions have been in the areas of securities law and criminal law. He is an Adjunct Professor at both Columbia Law School and NYU Law School, and also teaches at Berkeley Law School and the University of Virginia Law School. He has conducted over 300 jury trials, written over 180 published articles, 900 speeches, 2000 judicial opinions, and co-authored 5 books. He is a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books and the author of Why The Innocent Plead Guilty and the Guilty Go Free, and Other Paradoxes of Our Broken Legal System (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2021).

Notes: Cancellation Policy Please let us know immediately if you are unable to attend a class. There is no refund for cancellations within two (2) weeks prior to a scheduled class. Programs that include food, beverage or art materials must be canceled within three (3) weeks prior to receive a refund. CLE reserves the right to cancel a program if the minimum enrollment has not been met or for circumstances beyond our control, and participants will be notified, a complete refund will be issued. All classes are held in the CLE Lecture Hall at the Peggy Crosby Center unless otherwise noted. In the event information has changed from the published brochure, it will be posted on our website and in our e-blasts. Addresses for “private home” venues will be provided to registrants within 2 days of the program date.

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