A large crowd gathered at the Chase Center on the campus of Vermont Law and Graduate School on Sept. 18 to mark Constitution Day 2023. This is an annual celebration to mark the day in 1787 when the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia. In Vermont, the occasion was marked by a panel of legal experts who convened to discuss the topic: “Cornerstone of Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration.”
The moderator for the evening was Robert Fletcher, Esq., immediate past president of the VBA. He noted that the Vermont observance of Constitution Day is the product of a collaboration between the judiciary, the VBA, and VLGS. The panel included the Hon. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Reiber, The Hon. Supreme Court Associate Justice, Nancy Waples, The Hon. Kirstin Schoonover, Vermont Superior Court, The Hon. Timothy Tomasi, Vermont Superior Court and Professor Peter Teachout of Vermont Law and Graduate School.
The evening included extensive discussion on the topic of civility, which has been a special focus of the VBA this year and a particular priority of VBA president Andrew Manitsky. In addition to providing their individual insights and thoughts on the subject, the panelists also took questions from the audience.
The presentation was recorded and if you missed it, you can see it here.
Photos from the event, courtesy of Court Administrator Teri Corsones, are below.