In Support of the State Supreme Court Initiative Proposed by the National Center for State Courts and the William & Mary Law School
Resolution 1: In Support of the State Supreme Court Initiative Proposed by the National Center for State Courts and the William & Mary Law School
WHEREAS, decisions by state supreme courts are not currently afforded appropriate emphasis in law school teaching, in the academic study of the courts, or in state and national media; and
WHEREAS, ninety-eight percent of all appellate cases are filed in state appellate courts and the preponderance of common law development occurs through state supreme court decisions; and
WHEREAS, no law school or institute has created a center dedicated to the work of the state supreme courts; and
WHEREAS, the National Center for State Courts and the William & Mary Law School propose to fill this void with a joint State Supreme Court Initiative that would encourage the study of state supreme court decisions and create new avenues for public education about the work of state supreme courts; and
WHEREAS, the proposed State Supreme Court Initiative would include an annual state supreme court conference at the William & Mary Law School, publication of legal scholarship focused on state supreme courts, establishment of task forces to analyze and make recommendations on topics such as media coverage of state supreme courts and the coverage of state supreme courts in law school curricula, and development of a resource website on the work of state supreme courts.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference of Chief Justices supports the efforts of the National Center for State Courts and the William & Mary Law School to:
- Establish the State Supreme Court Initiative as described above;
- Obtain funding from private and public sources for the operation of the State Supreme Court Initiative; and
- Form an advisory committee of state chief justices and other judges, along with leading appellate attorneys, law professors, and journalists.
Adopted as proposed by the CCJ Court Management Committee at the Midyear Meeting on January 28, 2009.