Panel discussion

Panel discussion at Ninth Circuit Court Judicial Conference

Panel discussion / By

Host
Each year at our conference, we eagerly eagerly look forward to the opportunity to hear from the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Who is the circuit justice for the Ninth Circuit Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
We are delighted that Justice O’Connor and her husband John have joined us again this year. Also joining us are three distinguished lawyer representatives of our circuit, who will engage Justice O’Connor in a conversation. It is my pleasure to introduce them to you. First, Ms. Lorraine Akiba. Ms. Akiba received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her law degree from Hastings College of Law. She is in private practice in Honolulu. Ms. Akiba is a lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit, traditional conference and chairs the Hawaii lawyer delegate delegation.

Host
Ms. Nicole Dillingham. Ms. Dillingham did her undergraduate work at the University of Illinois and received her law degree from Northwestern University where she was on the Law Review. She practices law in San Francisco and as a member of the American arbitration Association and as on the executive committee of the California State Bar Association. Ms. Dillingham chairs the lawyer representatives Coordinating Committee and as a member of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Executive Committee.

Host
And Mr. Les Weatherhead. Mr. Weatherhead graduated from the University of Oregon, received his law degree from the University of Washington. He is in private

Speech

Speech to the Southern Center for International Studies

Speech / By

President White, Judge Dorothy Beasley, Secretary Sullivan and friends of the Southern Center for International Studies. The impressions we create in this world are important and can leave their mark. A friend of mine tells the story of a bus driver who was becoming angry but still kept his composure when a woman passenger made many complaints during the trip. She was rude and made the trip very unpleasant for those around her. It wasn’t until the driver opened the door at her stop to let her off the bus that the driver said, “Lady, you left something behind.” She turned and snarled, “And what was it I left behind?” The driver smiled and said softly, “A bad impression.”
On the whole, the United States judicial system leaves a favorable impression around the world. But when it comes to the impression created by the treatment of foreign and international law in United States courts, the jury is still out. A skeptic of the relevance of non-U. S. law to the United States legal system would begin by asking why judges and lawyers should divert their attention from the intricacies of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Bankruptcy Code, to the principles and decisions of foreign and international law.
The reason, of course, is globalization. No institution of government can afford any longer to ignore the rest of the world. One-third of our gross domestic product is internationally derived. We operate today under a large array

Speech

Acceptance speech for receiving Honorary Doctor of Laws from The George Washington University

Speech / By

JUSTICE O’CONNOR:  Thank you, thank you. President Trachtenberg, Dean Young, faculty, graduates, and friends of George Washington University School of Law:
It’s a great pleasure to be with you today at this ceremony.  After all, it’s a day of joy for everyone.  You graduates have no more law school exams or classes to endure — (Applause.) — and I might say the faculty no longer has you to endure.  You have fame and fortune ahead of you.  Your  families and spouses and friends can look forward to seeing more of you, and your speaker is greatly honored by the honorary degree bestowed on her today, a degree which allows me, like you graduates, to always have a link with this great Law School.

I realize we’ve gathered here today to applaud those of you who will be receiving law degrees.  There are, however, several heroes and heroines here who should be recognized and with whom you graduates undoubtedly would like to share your glory.  I refer, of course, to the parents and perhaps spouses who’ve made two significant contributions to your presence today, your parents have anyway.  First, they had the brains which you   were lucky enough to inherit; and secondly, they probably provided at least some of the money you needed to sustain yourselves while you were here.

I congratulate your parents and I commend you graduates for your good judgment in selecting them. (applause.)

A commencement speech is a particularly difficult assignment.  The speaker is given no topic and is expected

Speech

Speech at the American Law Institute annual meeting

Speech / By

Sandra Day O’Connor Now on the whole, the United States judicial system leaves a favorable impression around the world, but in the treatment and United States Courts of international law there jury is still out. Because of my exposure to a great many legal systems around the world. I decided to speak to you today about the need for more knowledge about international law and transnational law. Why does information about international law matters so much? Why should judges and lawyers who are concerned about the intricacies of ERISA and the Americans with Disabilities Act and the bankruptcy code, care about issues of foreign law, and international and transnational law? The reason of course is globalization. No institution of government can now afford to ignore the rest of the world. The importance of globalization should not be underestimated. 30% of our gross domestic product is internationally derived. We operate today under a large array of international agreements and organizations, the UN Convention on contracts for the International sale of goods. NAFTA, the World Trade Organization, the Hague conventions on collection of evidence abroad and service of process. And the New York convention on horsemen of arbitrage rewards dimension only a few. But globalization is much more than these agreements and organizations. It also represents a greater awareness of and access to people, some places are different from our own. The fates of nations are more closely intertwined than