O’Connor offers thoughts on impact of the law on society

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COLUMBUS - Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, visited Columbus on Friday, March 14, as a guest of the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy and the Moritz College of Law, both at The Ohio State University.

O’Connor met first with students, faculty, and alumni at the Moritz College of Law, commenting on the ways in which lawyers and the law have made a difference in the world. Three Moritz faculty - Martha Chamallas, the Robert J. Lynn Chair in Law; john powell, the Gregory H. Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; and Christopher Fairman, Assistant Professor - initiated the discussion by describing law’s impact on women’s rights, racism, and public service.

Students gathered with O’Connor in Moritz’s William B. Saxbe Auditorium as well as in “smart classrooms” throughout the building where they watched the discussion live through an internal broadcast. Participants in all rooms were able to transmit questions to O’Connor and the faculty panel via an instant messaging system. The innovative set-up accommodated a large number of participants and showcased Moritz’s high-tech capabilities.

“The help of the John Glenn Institute and the institution-changing gift of the late Michael E. Moritz really made this day possible,” said Nancy H. Rogers, dean of the Moritz College. Moritz gave $30 million to the school in 2001. In addition to supporting student scholarships and financing leadership awards, the donation provided funds that were used to fit classrooms with the latest in educational technology.

“Through the interactive discussion, the Moritz Law students had an amazing opportunity to have a conversation about the legal profession with someone who has reached its pinnacle,” Rogers said.

Later the same afternoon, O’Connor spoke before a standing-room-only crowd at a lecture sponsored by the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy. Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook, Provost Ed Ray, and Sen. John Glenn appeared on stage with O’Connor.

The Justice described the U.S. Supreme Court and her own role on the court to a diverse audience of students, faculty, legislators, judges, and community members. She then answered questions from 24 students and recent alumni seated onstage with her. The students, drawn from both Glenn Institute programs and the Moritz College of Law, explored O’Connor’s views on gender bias in courtrooms, legal services for the poor, the relationship between judges and legislators, the role of politics in selecting judges, and O’Connor’s childhood on a rugged Arizona ranch.

Deborah Merritt, Director of the John Glenn Institute and holder of the John Deaver Drinko/Baker and Hostetler Chair in Law at Moritz, said that the two events were a great example of how the Glenn Institute cultivates civic engagement and understanding. “The panels offered high school, college, and law students, as well as members of the campus community, a unique chance to learn directly about how our courts work and how judges decide cases,” she said. “The Glenn Institute partners with a wide range of units on and off campus to create these opportunities.”

Justice O’Connor visited Ohio State as Merritt’s guest. Merritt clerked for the Justice in 1981-82, O’Connor’s first year on the Supreme Court, and in 1997 co-taught a course on Comparative Constitutional Law with O’Connor as part of a European summer program hosted by the Dickinson School of Law, now part of Penn State.

Justice O’Connor previously visited the Moritz College of Law in 1992; six other Supreme Court Justices have visited the university during the last 20 years.

The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy is a nonpartisan, interdisciplinary institute that engages students in public service through innovative, hands-on programs; trains public leaders throughout the state of Ohio; and sponsors policy research, conferences, and lectures on topics of international concern.

The Moritz College of Law is Ohio’s flagship law school. It is nationally known for its programs in alternative dispute resolution, criminal law, and labor and employment law. Approximately 660 students attend classes at the school’s John Deaver Drinko Hall, located at 55 West 12th Avenue.