New Jersey Institute for Social Justice held its Summer of Social Justice speaker series for the 2^nd year in a row.  This year included two highly anticipated and unique topical conversations between established and emerging leaders for social change.  A particular aspiration of the Summer of Social Justice is to provide young professionals working in greater Newark an opportunity to engage well-established leaders in law, policy, and social justice—both on the panel and in the audience.   

On July 12^th, former New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice James Zazzali, currently Of Counsel at Gibbons PC, participated in a panel discussion exploring the jurisprudence of Supreme Court Justice William Brennan.  The panel, “The Legacy of Justice Brennan in the Twenty-First Century,” also featured current New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Anne Patterson and former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice James H. Coleman, Jr., currently Of Counsel to Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C.  Douglas S. Eakeley, Esq., Member of Lowenstein Sandler, moderated the event.  Justice Zazzali and the other panelists recalled Justice Brennan’s ascension to the highest court in the land, how his time on the New Jersey Supreme Court informed his later jurisprudence, and how many of his 1360 published opinions as a US Supreme Court Justice, second only to Justice Douglas, directly impacted members of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

The 2^nd Summer of Social Justice event, hosted by Charles A. Stanziale, Jr., partner at McCarter & English LLC, took place on July 26^th and involved a panel exploring the politics of New Jersey and of the upcoming presidential election.  The panel, “Exploring the Political Landscape of New Jersey,” featured noted political strategists Michael DuHaime, a Partner at Mercury Public Affairs LLC, who has worked with Governor Christie and Rudy Giuliani and Steven DeMicco, a Founding Partner of Message & Media, Inc, who has worked with Governor Corzine and Senator Menendez.  James McQueeny, Chairman of Winning Strategies Public Relations, moderated the event.  

Both panels engaged a diverse audience of dozens of practitioners, legal interns and policy students in a thoughtful discussion of some of the legal and political issues confronting New Jersey and how these issues will impact those who are interested in pursuing social justice.