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The Court of Public Opinion

Law conference to explore high-profile court cases

The Duke and Durham communities know from recent experience how hot-button issues such as race, gender and athletics can prompt intense media and public scrutiny of legal cases. But David F. Levi, the former federal judge who became dean of Duke Law School in July, says the lacrosse case was not unique in this regard.

 

"High-profile cases tax the legal system at the very moment when the public's confidence and understanding might be enhanced," Levi says.

 

A conference at Duke Law School Sept. 28 and 29 will explore the legal and ethical issues common to such high-profile cases. The discussions are free and open to the public.

 

The conference on "The Court of Public Opinion" will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28-29 in 3041 School of Law. For a full schedule, click here.

The conference "The Court of Public Opinion: The Practice and Ethics of Trying Cases in the Media" will include a series of roundtable conversations moderated by legal scholars. Participants will talk about how cases land in the media spotlight and will examine the professional and ethical roles of those responsible for ensuring a fair hearing for the individuals involved.

 

Participants will share their experiences with high-profile cases. They include Judge Reggie Walton, who presided over the Scooter Libby trial, and Harold Haddon, who has represented Kobe Bryant and the parents of JonBenet Ramsey.

 

The other participants are Mark Geragos, who has represented Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson; CourtTV anchor and attorney Jack Ford; Gary Hengstler, director of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for the Courts and Media at the National Judicial College; and Loren Ghiglione, professor of media ethics at Northwestern University.

 

And on Saturday, a noon panel called "Living Through Lacrosse" will feature John Burness, Duke's senior vice president for public affairs and government relations; Duke law professors James Coleman and Paul Haagen; Raymond C. Pierce, dean of North Carolina Central University's law school; and Duke student Emily Rotberg, managing editor of Towerview magazine last year and a Chronicle staffer.

 

"All of these cases raise fundamental questions about the proper balance between the rights of the individual and the public, and about appropriate conduct by members of the bench, bar and media in response to intense public interest," Levi says.