Constitution Day program to focus on Supreme Court

What is at stake in the confirmation process of President Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court is the topic of the University’s annual Constitution Day presentation, scheduled for 11 a.m., Monday, Sept. 17, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.

Richard Bowser, a professor at Campbell University’s School of Law, and John Szmer, an associate professor in UNC Charlotte’s Political Science and Public Administration Department, will be the speakers for this event.

Bowser has taught and written about a wide range of topics including constitutional law, legal philosophy, wills and trusts and estate planning. Szmer’s research examines the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals, U.S. state courts of last resort and the Supreme Court of Canada. Generally, he has focused on two central questions: the role that information plays in judicial decision making and the effects of diversity on the judicial process.

At the Constitution Day presentation, which is free and open to the public, these two legal experts will be questioned by student leaders from the Pre-law Society, Levine Scholars Program, Alpha Phi Sigma and the Criminal Justice and Criminology Graduate program.

Constitution Day (also called Citizenship Day) is a federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and those who have become United States citizens. It is celebrated officially on Sept. 17, the date in 1787 when delegates to the Constitutional Convention met to sign the document they created.