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Public: Recent News

From left, panelists Michael Gerhardt, Dr. Randall Williams, former Gov. Jim Holshouser and moderator A. P. Carlton.

The North Carolina Bar Association played host to an impressive leadership forum on Thursday, July 26, at the N.C. Bar Center in Cary.

Judge James A. Wynn Jr.

The North Carolina Rule of Law Conference, the third in a series of pilot events arranged in conjunction with the ABA’s World Justice Project, brought together a distinguished interdisciplinary group of North Carolina’s leaders to discuss the importance of the rule of law.

Judge James A. Wynn Jr. of the N.C. Court of Appeals, chair-elect of the ABA Judicial Division, and Justice Mark Martin of the N.C. Supreme Court, incoming program chair of the ABA Judicial Division, co-chaired the event.

John Charles Boger, dean and Wade Edwards Professor of Law at the UNC School of Law, played a significant role as a co-convener of the event.

“Commitment to the rule of law is a core value of the American constitutional order,” Boger said. “The UNC Law School is honored to partner with the ABA,

Justice Mark Martin

Justice Martin and Judge Wynn to explore how this vital commitment can be protected at home and supported abroad in the emerging global economy.”

At the time it was presented, Washington and Missouri were the only other states to have hosted such a conference. And both states would be hard-pressed to match either the presenters or the presentations which transpired at the Bar Center.

The agenda included former governors James B. Hunt Jr., the keynote speaker who was introduced by Dean Boger, and Jim Holshouser who participated in a panel discussion on “Why the Rule of Law Matters in the Global Economy and in Our State.”

The panel also included A. P. Carlton, past-president of the ABA who served as moderator, Michael J. Gerhardt, the Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor at

Former Gov. Jim Hunt

the University of North Carolina School of Law, and Dr. Randall Williams, a Raleigh obstetrician who volunteers with Medical Alliance for Iraq, a nonprofit organization working with International Medical Corp. to advance health care in Iraq.

Anita Brown-Graham, director of the N.C. State University Institute for Emerging Issues, introduced the panel discussion.

In addition to Wynn and Martin, attendees were inspired by words of welcome and encouragement from William C. Hubbard, chair of the World Justice Project Steering Committee, Chief Justice Sarah Parker of the N.C. Supreme Court, and NCBA President Janet Ward Black.

John L. Atkins, chair of the N.C. Chamber of Commerce, then provided a brief presentation on “The Rule of Law and Business.”

Erwin Chemerinsky

Erwin Chemerinsky, the Alston & Bird Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science at Duke University, followed with a sterling presentation under the title of “A Practical Definition of the Rule of Law.”

The agenda also included roundtable discussions in which participants were pre-assigned to five groups, each of which dealt with the rule of law from a specific perspective.

Dean Boger convened the attorneys’ group while the judges’ group was monitored by Justices Robert H. Edmunds Jr. and Patricia Timmons-Goodson of the N.C. Supreme Court.

The business group was convened by Justice Paul M. Newby of the N.C. Supreme Court and Chief Judge John C. Martin of the N.C. Court of Appeals. The non-profit group was led by Justice Robin E. Hudson of the N.C. Supreme Court and Judge Wanda Bryant of the N.C. Court of Appeals.

The education group was convened by Judge Douglas McCullough of the N.C. Court of Appeals and Dean Raymond C. Pierce of the North Carolina Central University School of Law.

The World Justice Project was initiated by William H. “Bill” Neukom, incoming president of the American Bar Association, in an effort to make advancing the rule of law a mainstream goal of the legal community and of all other major professions and disciplines.

From his perspective of former executive vice president and general counsel of Microsoft Corp., Neukom is committed to the belief that the rule of law is the foundation of all thriving societies, and is central to all efforts to ensure human security, fight poverty, eradicate corruption, improve public health, and enhance public education both in the United States and around the world.

It was Neukom who wisely entrusted Wynn and Martin to co-chair the conference.

“The North Carolina Rule of Law Conference presents a unique opportunity for our state to make a contribution to the World Justice Project, and to take a stand in the fight for achieving fair government and sustainable economic opportunity,” Wynn said.

“As judges, we are charged with protecting the rule of law,” Martin added. “This mission has always been of great importance to me, and I am proud that North Carolina will be at the forefront of the World Justice Project’s efforts.”

Atkins, Black and former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Burley Mitchell Jr. also served as co-conveners.

“I’d bet no other state could  put on an event of equal quality and business and legal participants in a year, much less in the month you folks had,” Mitchell said in congratulating the conference co-chairs and all who assisted them.

“Great work. The ABA should be impressed.”

Judge Ben Tennille makes his point, flanked by former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justices Henry Frye, left, and Burley Mitchell.