The Institute sponsors a judicial symposia series every year to provide sitting judges the opportunity to hear leading scholars discuss critical problems in America’s civil justice system, and to give legal scholars the opportunity to hear the perspective of those who deal with the same issues from the bench. We keep our forums small and intimate to facilitate discussion. To ensure that all participants can speak freely and openly, the only attendees are invited judges, our featured speaker, and Manhattan Institute staff.
Our May 12th judges’ dinner will feature Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Walter Olson, who will discuss his newly released book, The Rule of Lawyers: How the New Litigation Elite Threatens America’s Rule of Law. Wally is the author of The Litigation Explosion and The Excuse Factory and the founder and editor of Overlawyered.com. His latest book examines how trial lawyers have used litigation to assume vast de facto regulatory power over tobacco, guns, breast implants, lead paint and asbestos—among other policy areas, and the list is growing—all outside the scope of the democratic processes and checks and balances inherent in our system of government.
Judge Ralph K. Winter of the Second Circuit United States Court of Appeals will comment on Wally’s book as a discussion starter for the group. With over two decades on the federal bench and over four decades as a faculty member of the Yale Law School, Judge Winter can contribute both a jurist’s and an academic’s perspective to the trends Wally outlines.
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