Tuesday, May 5, 2026
This program examined the rising criticism, political pressures and physical threats confronting judges and courts, and the broader implications of these developments for judicial independence and our constitutional order. Panels featured respected jurists, distinguished scholars, and prominent lawyers and explored ethical boundaries, systemic responses, and the role of the legal profession in safeguarding and advocating for the rule of law. Attendees gained insight into both the challenges facing the judiciary today and the concrete steps lawyers and institutions could take to help protect our republic.
Program Panels
- The Landscape of Attacks on Judges
- Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.), Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute. Recorded remarks: Hon. Esther Salas, U.S District Court for the District of New Jersey. Hon. Joan Lefkow, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Hon. P. Scott Neville, Jr., Chief Justice, Illinois Supreme Court
- Hon. James L. Robart, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
- Judicial Independence Under Pressure: Ethics, Constraints, and Public Engagement
- Hon. M. Margaret McKeown, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Hon. Virginia M. Kendall, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Hon. Debra L. Stephens, Chief Justice, Washington State Supreme Court
- Charles Gardner Geyh, Distinguished Professor and John F. Kimberling Professor, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
- Luncheon Keynote Panel
- Hon. Stephen Breyer (ret.), United States Supreme Court
- Hon. Diane P. Wood (ret.) U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; Director of the American Law Institute and Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School
- Hon. M. Margaret McKeown, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Protecting the Integrity of the Judicial Disciplinary Process
- Robert H. Tembeckjian, Administrator & Counsel, New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Robert P. Deyling, Assistant General Counsel, Administrative Office of the U.S. CourtsHon. Teri L. Jackson, Presiding Justice, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Five, Paula Wolff, Illinois Courts Commission
- Vincent E. Doyle III, Partner, Connors LLP
- Where Do We Go from Here? Lawyers, Institutions, and the Duty to Safeguard the Rule of Law
- Robert Cummins, The Cummins Law Firm, P.C., Hon. Rubén Castillo (ret.), U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Daniel A. Cotter, Member, Aronberg Goldghen, Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.), Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute, Maurice Possley (ret.), Chicago Tribune, Joseph H. Thompson, Founding Partner, Thompson Jacobs PLLC; Former Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Andrew W. Vail, Partner, Jenner & Block
- Elizabeth Wright, Executive Director, Utah State Bar