Duke Law selected to co-host annual education program for judges

Jan 6, 2016Latest News

Duke Law School has been selected by the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI) as co-host for AJEI’s Annual Summit beginning in 2017.

The Summit, a premier national judicial education program, is a four-day session that gathers hundreds of federal and state appellate judges, appellate court staff attorneys, and practitioners from across the country for practical, cutting-edge, continuing legal education. Presenters include leading practitioners from both the private and government sectors, outstanding law professors, and experienced appellate judges and court attorneys.

AJEI, which offers the Summit, is affiliated with the Appellate Judges Conference of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association.

Duke Law School has a demonstrated commitment to the study of the judicial branch of government. In 2011, Duke established the Center for Judicial Studies to advance the study of the judiciary through interdisciplinary scholarship and cooperative thinking from multiple perspectives. By bringing together judges, researchers, teachers, practitioners, and theorists, the Center fosters an interdisciplinary exploration by judges and scholars to promote better understanding of the judicial process and to generate ideas for improving the administration of justice.

“When approached by AJEI to co-host the Summit, we immediately recognized the outstanding opportunity presented to Duke Law School and its Center for Judicial Studies, and we are pleased to be designated the co-host for the AJEI Summit,” said Dean David F. Levi, former Chief U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of California. “As the premier educational opportunity for both federal and state appellate judges, the AJEI Summit shares our focus on strengthening the judiciary and leading to better understanding of the judicial process, judicial institutions, and judicial decision-making.”

Craig Enoch, former Texas Supreme Court Justice and president of AJEI, expressed excitement about the Duke connection. “Working with Duke and its Center for Judicial Studies enables the Summit to reach a new level of educational excellence, and we are especially excited with the opportunity to explore synergies available through the Center’s support of Duke’s two-year Master of Judicial Studies degree for sitting U.S., state, and international judges; its bench-bar-academy conferences that address vital legal issues; and its publication, Judicature, a quarterly scholarly journal for judges.”