A large crowd convened at the Chase Center on the campus of Vermont Law and Graduate School on Sept. 17 for a celebration to mark Constitution Day. This was the ninth annual collaboration between VLGS, the VBA, and Vermont Judiciary to commemorate the day in 1787 when the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia. The occasion was marked by a panel of legal experts who gathered to discuss the theme, “Voices of Democracy.”
The moderator for the evening was VBA Board of Managers President, Judith Dillon. The panel included the Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, Paul Reiber, Associate Justice Harold Eaton, Superior Court judges Heather Gray and Daniel Richardson and Professor Peter Teachout of VLGS.
Justice Reiber addressed the topic, “The States as Voices of Democracy: The Anti-Federalist Perspective.” Justice Eaton addressed, “Dangerous Speech in the Internet Age.” Judge Gray spoke about, “Having Your 
Voice Heard: Challenge with Civility.” Judge Richardson explored “The Tragedy of Narcissus: The Interplay of Technology, Libel, and First Amendment Freedoms.” Professor Teachout presented on “Threats to Democracy and the Constitution”
After the panel discussion, the audience, which was made up of members of the VLGS community and the public, had an opportunity to ask questions of the panelists. These ranged from asking about their favorite parts of the Constitution to exploring whether or when it might be appropriate to limit speech that incites violence or harassment, with a digression 
into the philosophy of Marshall McLuhan. The VBA provided pocket constitutions to attendees.
Photos are courtesy of Court Administrator Teri Corsones. (Teri also provided the beautiful cake).
