Member News

Pamela Karlan and Ellen Rosenblum Are Recipients of the 2021 Margaret Brent Award

June 23, 2021

The American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession honors up to five outstanding women lawyers every year with the Margaret Brent Award for their achievements in professional excellence and in paving the way for other women in the legal profession. These honorees were chosen because they carry on the legacy of Margaret Brent, the first woman lawyer in America.?

Among this year’s honorees are Pamela S. Karlan of Stanford Law School and Ellen F. Rosenblum of the Oregon Department of Justice. The awards ceremony will be held virtually on August 5.

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Members to Present at Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference

Current Challenges Facing the Judiciary

Ten years ago, Duke Law School began publishing Judicature. Among the articles published in that first Duke edition was a lecture titled “Grand Challenges, Grand Ideas,” by David F. Levi, then-dean of Duke Law School. He highlighted five key issues of keen concern to the judiciary: access to justice; justice at a reasonable cost; an independent, transparent judiciary; criminal justice reform; and maintaining a sense of purpose.

Traynor on Liberty, Law, and Democracy

In his essay "Liberty, Law, and Democracy: Are There Grounds for Realistic Optimism?" Michael Traynor, former President of The American Law Institute, reflects on the challenges facing American democracy amid political polarization and institutional strain. He examines threats to the balance between liberty and law, citing dysfunction across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while drawing on historical context and recent scholarship to frame these concerns.