Judging The Roberts Court: Point And Counterpoint

Is the Supreme Court too political these days? Should the Court play a limited role in public affairs or should it be more active in bringing about change? Hosted by the New Lebanon Library, two distinguished legal scholars will debate these and other questions on Saturday, June 11, 3 to 5 pm. [private]The discussion will take the form of a presentation by Stephen E. Gottlieb, The Jay and Ruth Caplan Distinguished Professor at The Albany School of Law, and a response by the Honorable Robert Sherlock Smith, Associate Judge (Ret.) of the NY State Court of Appeals. A question period and reception will follow.
A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School and a Peace Corps volunteer, Stephen Gottlieb has served on the Boards of Directors of the NY Civil Liberties Union and the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He is a regular commentator on WAMC radio and the author, most recently, of Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and the Breakdown of American Politics.
Judge Robert S. Smith was appointed to the NY State Court of Appeals by Governor Pataki in 2003 and served until he reached the mandatory retirement age in 2014, when he returned to private practice. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. Known as a vigorous questioner from the bench, an advocate of limited role for the judiciary, and an opponent of unnecessary government intrusion, Judge Smith is an active member of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy.
This program, which is free and open to the public, is best suited for teens and adults, although patrons of all ages are welcome. The library, at 550 State Route 20, is located ¼ mile north of the yellow blinking light at the intersection of Routes 20/22.[/private]