David F. Levi on Judicial Independence

ALI President David F. Levi delivered a talk on the importance of impartiality in the American Judiciary at “The Fair & Impartial Judiciary Symposium,” hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Law School on Oct. 26.

The fair and impartial judiciary is a pillar of the American constitutional system. It guarantees that citizens are governed by the rule of law, rather than by the whims of the powerful. Yet Americans increasingly view the judiciary as an extension of the political system. Politicians and commentators routinely decry judicial decisions as the work of “Obama judges” and “Trump judges.” Trust in the judiciary is at a crisis level, with criticism sounding from all sides. The symposium examined these key questions:

• How did we get to this crisis of confidence in the judiciary?
• How do we make our way back to trust?
• How do we convey the essential importance of judicial independence to the average hardworking American?

Other ALI members who participated in the event include:

Anthony M. Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States
Stephen Burbank of the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Paul D. Clement of Kirkland & Ellis
Charles Geyh of Indiana University, Maurer School of Law
Linda Greenhouse of Yale Law School
Robert Heim of Dechert
Theodore A. McKee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Jeffrey Rosen, President  & CEO of the National Constitution Center
Theodore Ruger of the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Anthony J. Scirica of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Kathleen M. Sullivan of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan

Read President Levi’s full speech.

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