MSU-Detroit College of Law knows that after the elections are finally decided, there will be certain effects on the U.S. courts that come as a result.
The Law Review of MSU-DCL will host a forum titled “What’s Next? The Impact of the Election on the Future of Our Courts” on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Castle Board Room of the MSU-DCL Building to discuss those effects.
Second-year law student Curt Lawler is on the committee putting together the forum and said even though the country doesn’t know who its next president will be, there will still be a good discussion.
“The final outcome of the election will not change people’s viewpoints on the issues,” Lawler said. “I don’t think it will affect how strongly they feel about the courts.”
The Law Review is a scholarly academic publication that covers timely legal topics. The completely student-edited journal has been published since 1931.
The discussion-based event will feature four speakers on the analyst perspective, including MSU political science Professor Harold Spaeth.
Spaeth believes there will be ultimately no change in the courts as a result of the election, but is interested in hearing what the other panelists have to say.
“They will be the same old, same old courts,” Spaeth said. “But I love talking about this kind of thing and have no trouble coming up with something to say.”
Spaeth will be joined by MSU-DCL Professor Greg Mitchell, Detroit Free Press writer Brian Dickerson and Steve Mitchell, president of Mitchell Research and Communication.
The forum will also include four speakers on the judicial perspective from Michigan courts including Justice Robert Young Jr., who was just elected to another term on the Michigan Supreme Court.
Law Review Editor in Chief Allen Lanstra said each panel member will be allotted 15 minutes for a presentation followed by questions from audience members. Questions for the judicial panelists will be allowed during a break on a one-on-one basis.
“We want to get information out the public,” Lanstra said. “And to think about results beyond the actual elections.”
Lanstra said everyone in the university community is encouraged to attend.
“It will be very interesting to hear what they have to say,” Lanstra said. “I think they will be able to put a more scholarly approach to the issues that we as students will be able to easily identify with.”
