Baylor Law School Panel To Discuss U.S. Supreme Court Vacancy April 13

WACO, Texas (April 11, 2016) – The American Constitution Society and the Baylor Law Leadership Program will host a panel of legal and constitutional experts, including Baylor University President and Chancellor Ken Starr, who will discuss the potential implications of the current vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at Baylor Law School, Room 127.

The Supreme Court has been in the national spotlight since the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13.

In addition to Judge Starr, who holds an appointment at Baylor Law School as The Louise L. Morrison Chair of Constitutional Law, the panel will feature David Guinn, J.D., Master Teacher and The Lyndon L. Olson and William A. Olson Professor of Local Government and Constitutional Law, Rory Ryan, J.D., professor of law, and Brian Serr, J.D., professor of law.

“We are appreciative of our colleagues on the panel, who have over 100 years of collective experience studying the jurisprudence of the United States Supreme Court, sharing their insights and reflections,” said Baylor Law School Dean Brad Toben. “We are especially delighted that Judge Ken Starr, our president and chancellor, and former Solicitor General of the United States, who has argued 36 cases before the Supreme Court and was a personal friend of Justice Scalia, is joining in this discussion.”

Scalia’s death has had wide-ranging legal and political impact, including a conflict between the White House and a number of high-ranking Senate Republicans, who have stated that they will not proceed with a hearing on President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Until Scalia’s replacement is confirmed, the Court’s potential for legal intrigue also is heightened due to the possibility of several 4-4 decisions. For example, in March, the Court’s 4-4 ruling in an organized labor case (Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association) affirmed an earlier decision by an appellate court that favored the unions.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL
Established in 1857, Baylor Law School was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,200 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law School has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program as #4 in the nation. Baylor Law School is also ranked No. 51 in the magazine’s 2015 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law in its top 10 law schools for practical training, and second best value in private legal education in the nation. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Learn more at www.baylor.edu/law.