The DC Courts and the DC Bar will co-host the 2017 Judicial and Bar Conference on Friday, April 7. The theme of this biennial conference is “Justice for All? Bias and Discrimination in the 21st Century.” The day will begin with State of the Judiciary remarks by Chief Judges Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and Robert E. Morin, and State of the Bar remarks by DC Bar President Annamaria Steward.

This one-day conference will include a morning plenary titled “Democracy at a Crossroads,” hosted by Nicole Austin-Hillery, director and counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice. It will explore the future of voting rights, electoral reform, racial bias, and reform of the criminal justice system.

The keynote luncheon will feature Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director–counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. and renowned civil rights, voting rights, and judicial diversity advocate. The afternoon sessions will explore bias and discrimination matters, including religious profiling, gender and language bias, and LGBTQ equality, among other issues. In addition, the DC Bar Continuing Legal Education Program will present the course, “Implicit Bias, Personal Reflections, and Your Ethical Duties,” which will be cosponsored by the DC Bar Sections. The conference will conclude with a judicial reception where attendees will honor DC and federal judges of the courts in the District of Columbia as well as meet and engage with colleagues.

WHAT: District of Columbia Judicial and Bar Conference

WHERE: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

WHEN: Friday, April 7, 2017; 8:30 a.m.–8 p.m.

WHO: Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, DC Court of Appeals

Chief Judge Robert E. Morin, DC Superior Court

DC Bar President Annamaria Steward

Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director–Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund

For more information, visit: www.dcbar.org/JudicialBar.

PRESS: Media passes are available; there will be some restrictions on photography and live feeds