In her continuing campaign to spotlight the way in which state judges are selected, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will speak Jan. 26 at a Georgetown University Law Center forum on two Supreme Court decisions affecting the debate — one of which has still not been announced.
The daylong conference, co-sponsored by Georgetown and the Aspen Institute’s Justice and Society program, will focus on last year’s decision in Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co. and this term’s still-pending decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The Caperton ruling said the Due Process Clause can sometimes require a state judge to recuse in a case involving a major donor to his or her election campaign. Citizens United could decide whether bans on direct corporate spending in campaigns violate the First Amendment.
