Celebrating Law Day on Telluride Time, Monday, May 4

02 May Celebrating Law Day on Telluride Time, Monday, May 4

[hear Susan's conversation with Sharon Shuteran and Freddy Shapiro]

Law Day, U.S.A. is officially May 1, a national event meant to reflect the role of law in our country's foundation. In Telluride as elsewhere in the country, Law Day is a vehicle for may bar and legal educations associations to promote the use of law as a legal education tool, particularly for students.Only in Telluride, we celebrate the event on "Telluride time."

 On May 4, 6.pm. at the Wilkinson Public Library, Judge Sharon Shuteran and longtime lawyer/former legal professor Freddy Shapiro co-host a program about the High Court based on insights and questions derived from Jeff Toobin's book, "The Nine."  (Having read the book is a nice but not necessary condition for showing up for the discussion.)

In "The Nine," Toobin humanizes the quirky justices and provides a basic understanding of the inner workings of the most important legal institution in America, including the role of political intuition in decision-making.

The following are themes that might shape the evening with Sharon and Freddy – along with your questions :

• The "Conservative Revolution," which seemed to have failed, but may have just started.
• Why is the Supreme Court  so important and what is its  role in shaping our society? Do its decisions shape public opinion or are they shaped by it?
•  Why should we care about the HIgh Court?
• How justices are chosen, the qualities needed, the politics and ideology, etc, especially relevant with Souter's (and Ginsberg's potential) upcoming resignation.
• What is an "activist" vs. "strict constructionist" court?
• What does judicial independence mean and why is it important?
• Seminal issues over the last twenty or so years  focused on in the book – affirmative action, abortion rights, federalism, Bush, Schiavo, security vs. civil rights – their significance and what they tell us about the court.

Press the "play" button on their podcast for a preview.