Sandra Day O’Connor to Speak at Charleston Law Symposium
February 13, 2013
Program by Charleston Law Review, Riley Institute at Furman to focus on separation of church and state
CHARLESTON, SC – April 15, 2013 – Former Supreme Court Justice SandraDay O’Connor will be the keynote speaker for the 2013 Law & SocietySymposium to be held in Charleston, Monday, April 15.
The program, which will focus on the separation between church andstate, will take place at the Charleston Music Hall. It is co-sponsored by the Charleston Law Review and the Riley Institute at FurmanUniversity.
O’Connor became the first woman to serve as an Associate Justice on theUnited States Supreme Court in 1981. She served for 24 years beforeretiring from the court on Jan. 31, 2006. In 2009, she received thePresidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.
“The Charleston School of Law is tremendously honored to have JusticeSandra Day O’Connor lead our fifth annual Law and Society Symposium,”said Dean Andy Abrams. “In addition to being a true pioneer in thelegal profession, Justice O’Connor is also one of the leading jurists of this or any era. Her career mirrors the mission of our lawschool—using the law to make a positive impact on the lives ofindividuals and communities.”
“Justice O’Connor is a great American public servant, and to so many inour country, an extraordinary hero,” said Rod Smolla, a symposiumpanelist and president of Furman University. “During her years ofservice on the Court, she was instrumental in shaping the core fabric of American law. She always conducted herself with dignity and civility as she was involved in the most important issues of our times.”
The day-long symposium will focus on a constitutional test proposed byO’Connor in a 1984 ruling in Lynch v. Donnelly. In that case, sheproposed that a government action can violate the First Amendment’sseparation of church and state if a reasonable observer perceives theaction endorses or disapproves of religion.
“Justice Sandra Day O’Connor proposed the endorsement test in 1984 todetermine whether government action, such as school prayer, violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” said Professor of LawSheila B. Scheuerman, who is coordinating the symposium.
“This year’s symposium brings together leading scholars andpractitioners to discuss the current state of the endorsement test aswell as its future.
“The students are very excited and welcome this one-of-a-kindopportunity to hear the first woman appointed to the United StatesSupreme Court discuss this fascinating area of law.”
The symposium, “In Search of a ‘Grand Unified Theory’: Thirty Years with the Endorsement Test,” offers four panel discussions on the testoffered by O’Connor. The retired justice is scheduled to offer keynoteremarks at 3:30 p.m. Top speakers and panelists from around the country will participate in the symposium, including Smolla, U.S. DistrictJudge Richard M. Gergel and U.S. District Judge P. Michael Duffy, bothof the District of South Carolina.
The symposium, which will be at the Charleston Music Hall, qualifies for 7.0 Continuing Legal Education credits in South Carolina. The event isopen to the public. Tuition for the symposium is $125 with CLE credit,but discounted to $100 before March 15. General admission without CLEcredit is $25.
