Judges’ Colloquium participants included supreme court justices from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as a judge from the Caribbean Court of Justice, and four judges from the United States. LEFT: Jindal Global Law School Dean C. Raj Kumar and Dean Schwab. TOP:
and scholars, and health professionals. “By bringing together stakeholders across sectors, we created opportunities for crossfertilization of ideas and best practices,” says Sital Kalantry, faculty director of the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice and associate clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School. “Professors were able to present their scholarly works to policymakers and activists who could put those theories into practice. Judges heard from victims of violence outside of the formal setting of a court room and learned firsthand of the difficulties they face within the criminal justice system.” Adds Elizabeth Brundige, interim executive director of
the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice, “One participant, an acid attack survivor, spoke movingly about her experiences not only as a survivor of a horrific form of gender-based violence, but also as someone who has felt abandoned and betrayed by her country’s justice system. By the time she reached the end of her presentation, there were few dry eyes in the room. Her powerfully personal story and courage in sharing it provided an important grounding for participants’ discussion about promoting access to justice for women survivors of violence around the world.”
the Avon Foundation for Women, the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice works with judges, legal professionals, and both governmental and non-governmental organizations to improve access to justice in an effort to eliminate violence against women and girls. A report that summarizes and highlights key proceedings from the Women and Justice Conference is available at www.womenandjustice.org. Videos of the proceedings will be made available soon at the same address. Constitution and Society Colloquium Welcomes Distinguished Visitors “Teaching a joint colloquium with Mike Dorf in the Law School this year has been a joy and a challenge,” says Sidney Tarrow, the Maxwell M. Upson Professor Emeritus in the Government Department at Cornell and a visiting professor at the Law School, “a joy because it has exposed me to a
scintillating colleague and to engaged and thoughtful students, and challenging because it has exposed me to a scintillating colleague and to engaged and thoughtful students.” The Colloquium on Constitution and Society, which examines the processes by which social and constitutional change interact, has welcomed visiting scholars in law, political science, and related fields to present works in progress throughout the term. “Students and scholars of constitutional law know instinctively that understandings of the Constitution evolve in
Michael C. Dorf
Looking forward, Kalantry says, “We are pleased to have received very positive feedback on the value and impact of the conference. We hope that this convening not only reinforced important existing initiatives but also sparked new ideas and forged new connections that will advance further solution-oriented collaborations.” Established in 2009 with a generous five-year grant from
Sidney Tarrow
Kim Lane Scheppele
Spring 2012
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