"Crisis in the Courts: The New White House Push on Judicial Confirmations and the Vacancy Rate's Impact on Justice"

Thursday, May 31, 12 - 2 p.m.

Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Moot Court Room, 1801 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland Ohio 44115

Nearly 130 million Americans live in districts with vacancies in their federal courtrooms, and 37 of these districts have been declared "emergencies" because of the growing backlog of cases. In a move that is seldom seen in an election year, the White House recently announced plans to push more nominees through the stalled Senate confirmation process.

At this free public program, panelists of national prominence, exceptional professional experience, and divergent viewpoints will discuss the current vacancy rate in the federal judiciary and the ongoing political struggle to fill the vacancies that remain. Panelists will also address the impact of judicial vacancies and the current state of litigation and process in the federal courts. Finally, the panelists will debate the path forward to improving the process and removing the political roadblocks that have kept it from working better.

PANELISTS:

• Honorable James Gwin, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
• Christopher Kang, Senior Counsel to the President, Office of White House Counsel (appearing via Skype)
• Jeremy Paris, Chief Counsel for Nominations and Oversight for Chairman Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
• Michael Zubrensky, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, U.S. Department of Justice
• Marge Baker, Executive Vice President, People for the American Way
• Jonathan Adler, Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law and Director, Center for Business Law and Regulation, Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Moderator:

• Dan Moulthrop, The Civic Commons
• Members of the Ohio Bar receive two free hours of continuing legal education credit (CLE)