NEWS RELEASE

The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue · Williamsburg, Virginia  23185

Chief Justice of the United States To Speak in Williamsburg

Conference on Federal vs. State Constitutions
Nov. 14, 2003
3:00 p.m.
Hennage Auditorium, DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

Williamsburg, VA (Nov. 5, 2003) – Chief Justice of the United States William H. Rehnquist will be the keynote speaker Nov. 14 at a one-day conference on the differences of state and federal constitutional law. Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court LeRoy R. Hassell, Sr. will introduce Rehnquist. The event is sponsored by the National Center for State Courts, The Institute of Bill of Rights Law at the William & Mary School of Law, and the Conference of Chief Justices. The event is free and open to the public.

Rehnquist’s speech is the highlight of the conference that explores how state and federal constitutional law work together to enforce constitutional norms. “This conference is special because it brings both state and federal judges together with leading academia, which is unique,” said Roger K. Warren, president of the National Center. “It will provide the public the opportunity to hear legal scholars and judges discuss whether state and federal constitutional laws are separate and distinct systems of law, and if not, how they are related?” 

The conference titled  “Dual Enforcement of Constitutional Norms” begins at 8:30 a.m. at William & Mary’s Law School. The morning session features three panels that will explore how state courts enforce federal constitutional norms and vice versa.

The event will move to the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum at 3 p.m. for Rehnquist’s address.  Following Rehnquist’s speech, Roger Warren will moderate a concluding roundtable discussion, in which Rehnquist will participate along with other federal and state court judges.

The National Center, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a non-profit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center, founded in 1971 by Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger and the Conference of Chief Justices, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.

The Institute of Bill of Rights Law at the William & Mary School of Law works to improve scholarly and popular understanding of the U.S. Bill of Rights. It accomplishes this through conferences, parliamentary-style debates and public lectures, a book series, and an endowed visiting professorship. The Institute also coordinates a visitor program that brings leading jurists, scholars, lawyers, and journalists to William and Mary’s campus.   

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