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TBA Announces Details for Nashville Civility Forum
Panelists named; time changed to include presidential debate watch party
NASHVILLE, Sept. 25, 2012 -- A public forum on the tensions between free speech and civility will take place in Nashville on Oct. 16. The event, sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA), the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and Lipscomb University, will take place in Lipscomb's Ezell Center from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and free parking is available in front of the Ezell Center as well as in the P2 garage (view parking map). Following the program, attendees are invited to stay and watch the second presidential debate scheduled for that night beginning at 8 p.m. Central.
(Please note that the forum will start one hour earlier than originally announced so that attendees may watch the presidential debate as part of the program.)
In announcing the forum, TBA President Jacqueline B. Dixon said, "We cannot preserve our democracy without finding the right balance between free speech and civility. The TBA is pleased to be a part of such an important project."
The forum, the second in a series of events across the state, will focus on civility in interacting with the courts. General issues to be addressed include why civility matters and what to do when the values of civility and free speech clash. Specific issues to be examined at this hearing include how to handle claims of bias among court appointees; whether courts should respond to attacks on their legitimacy; and what role the media plays or should play with regard to civility towards the courts. A panel of three experts will discuss these issues and take questions from the audience. Panelists include:
Retired Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court
Former Editor of The Tennessean
Academic Director, Institute for Conflict Management and Adjunct Professor at Lipscomb University
Memphis lawyer and former TBA President Bill Haltom will moderate the discussion. A lawyer with Thomason, Hendrix, Harvey, Johnson & Mitchell PLLC, Haltom currently is writing a book on civility and politics using former U.S. Senator and Ambassador to Japan Howard H. Baker Jr. as the exemplar.
Program Partners
The program is part of Civility and Free Expression in a Constitutional Democracy -- A National Dialogue, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and conducted in partnership with the American Bar Association Division for Public Education. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association or any of their program partners.
Local program partners include the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, Lipscomb University, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee.
The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with more than 11,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA provides opportunities for continuing legal education, professional development and public service. The TBA’s dedication to serving the state’s legal community is evidenced by its membership roll, which represents the entire spectrum of legal practice: plaintiff and defense lawyers, corporate counsel, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, government lawyers and legal services attorneys.