The Informed Voters Project and the National Constitution Center are hosting a town hall meeting “A Judge’s Perspective on Current Threats to A Fair and Impartial Judiciary" Monday at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The event will provide an insider’s look at the challenges state court judges face in charged political environments with Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Justice Barbara J. Pariente of the Florida Supreme Court, and former Chief Justice Marsha Ternus of the Iowa Supreme Court. C-Span is covering the symposium and will air it in July. To see the program real time, visit the IVP website.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will be keynote speaker to the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates during the group's Annual Meeting in Boston this August. Roberts will talk about the historical and present-day significance of the Magna Carta, kicking off the ABA’s commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the signing of the document in 1215. The ABA journal has more.

Late registration fees for the upcoming TBA Annual Convention in Gatlinburg kick in tomorrow, so now is a great time to sign up. This year’s event features compelling programming, networking, entertainment for the whole family and a great location right in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. It all begins on June 11, so sign up now.

The Iowa Supreme Court justice who authored the opinion permitting same-sex marriage in the state – and later watched three of his colleagues on the bench fall in retention elections – will be the featured speaker at this year’s Bench/Bar Luncheon during the TBA Annual Convention. Chief Justice Mark Cady will talk about the Varnum v. Brien decision and the attacks that followed from out-of-state groups that targeted the justices for deciding that the state’s statue limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violated the Iowa Constitution. The luncheon will be at noon on Thursday, June 12, at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. Learn more or register now.

Gideon’s Promise is hosting an event from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on the Square Gastropub in Memphis tonight (Thursday) to advocate for public defense reform. The organization states it is “setting out to ensure the 12 million citizens who move through America’s criminal justice system each year receive a fair and zealous defense.” Tennessee public defender Keeda Haynes is slated to provide remarks, as well as photography and B-roll of Gideon’s Promise Founder and President Jonathan Rapping delivering remarks to an assembled crowd.

The Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) will be recognized as the Nashville Sounds' Charity of the Night on June 2 at 7 p.m. TJC Executive Director Michele Johnson and her nine-year-old son Henry will be throwing the first pitch. Buy your tickets (and t-shirts) on the TJC website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear cases in front of hundreds of young men participating in American Legion Boys State next week as part of the SCALES program (Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students.) Participants in Boys State are high school juniors who spend a week each May at Tennessee Technological University learning about the government by participating in educational activities that simulate local, county and state government roles. The justices will also visit the similar Girls State at Lipscomb University on Friday, the Administrative Office of the Court reports. 

The investiture ceremony for the state’s newest Court of Appeals Judge, Neal McBrayer, will be held at the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Chamber at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Gov. Bill Haslam, who appointed McBrayer to the court last year, will administer the oath of office. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more.

In anticipation of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta in 2015, the ABA is planning a range of events to promote the historical and contemporary relevance of the document, including new publications, a London meeting for lawyers and a tour of Runnymede. In addition, the ABA is partnering with the Library of Congress to create a traveling and stationary exhibit. The traveling exhibit will launch in August and will travel across the country to law schools, courthouses, public libraries and other venues. Educational and commemorative events also are planned. Lawyers can get involved by helping to refurbish the ABA Memorial at Runnymede, promoting awareness of the charter and supporting events that mark the anniversary.

Early registration for the upcoming TBA Annual Convention in Gatlinburg ends soon, so now is a great time to sign up. This year’s event features compelling programming, networking, entertainment for the whole family and a great location right in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. It all begins on June 11, so sign up now.