Syracuse University College of Law provided one of the two academic reading groups that evaluated now Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s written work as part of the American Bar Association’s evaluation of her qualifications for the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  IJPM Associate Director Lisa Dolak acted as chair of this group and IJPM Director Keith Bybee also served on this reading group.  Sotomayor’s qualifications were reviewed in the areas of integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament; the criteria on which the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary (SCFJ) rates all federal judicial nominees.  This marks the second time the SCFJ has tapped the College of Law to support its evaluation of a Supreme Court nominee.  The first time was in 2005 for Justice Samuel Alito.

September 24-25, IJPM, together with the Federal Judicial Center and SU College of Law, hosted a Law and Media seminar for more than forty federal judges from across the country.  The judges heard from IJPM Director Keith Bybee who presented on public perceptions of judiciary.  IJPM Associate Director Lisa Dolak discussed her case study on legal reporting, “Intellectual Property Law in the Media Mirror,” and IJPM Senior Advisor Mark Obbie presented about the quality of legal journalism and how to improve it. The first day concluded with a conversation with the Honorable Jon Feldman, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, and the Honorable Leonie Brinkema, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, about managing high profile trials.  The second day of the conference, Professor Rakesh Anand discussed judicial ethics and maintaining faith in the rule of law and professors Paula Johnson and Janis McDonald discussed the Cold Case Justice Initiative as an example of collaborative relationship with the judiciary and the media.

Councilman Chris Nevitt will present his lecture “Cowboys and Indians Together at Last: Labor and Business Unite to Protect Judicial Independence in Colorado” on Monday 4/20 at 3:50pm in Room 204 at the College of Law.

Mary Flood will present her lecture, “The Important vs. the Interesting: Reporting and Blogging from Court,” on Monday, 4/13 at 3:50 p.m. in Room 204 at the College of Law.

The goal of the Law, Politics, & the Media subject journal is to publish abstracts of working papers and articles that promote a more integrated understanding of law, courts, and their environment. To this end, the journal seeks scholarship that addresses any combination of legal, political, and media-related themes in the analysis of legal institutions, beliefs, and practices. The journal is open to work from the social sciences, the humanities, and the legal academy. Papers and articles that focus on the United States, as well as scholarship that is comparative or international in scope, are welcome.

Bert Brandenburg, the Executive Director of the Justice at Stake Campaign, will be on-campus to speak about “Judicial Elections Through the Eyes and Ears of Voters.” Event will be held at 3:50pm on Monday 2/23 in Room 204 at the Syracuse University College of Law.

Jo Thomas will present her lecture on Monday 2/9 at 3:50pm in Room 204 at the College of Law.

IJPM Associate Director Lisa Dolak and Dr. Blaine Bettinger’s article, “The United States Patent System in the Media Mirror,” was selected as one of the best articles relating to patent law that was published in 2008.  The article originally appeared in 58 Syracuse L. Rev. (2008) as a part of the IJPM-sponsored “Creators vs. Consumers” symposium and is now available in the inaugural edition of the Patent Law Review, published by Thomson Reuters.

Mr. Sherman will present his lecture on Monday 2/2 at 3:50pm in Room 204 at the College of Law.

IJPM will host an informational session for College of Law students on Thursday, October 23rd, at 11:45 a.m. in Room 204 at the College of Law.  This session will provide students with specifics on the Law, Politics, and the Media Certificate Program and the Law, Politics, and the Media Course offered in the spring semester.