Even with the wisdom that 23 years on the bench brings, Circuit Court Judge (Div. 5) Kay Spalding Robilio has not stopped learning. She sees the value in gleaning from our nation’s founding fathers the understanding necessary to tackle issues of present day and ultimately to unlock truths in the future.
Along with other distinguished legal counterparts throughout the U.S., Judge Robilio attended a seminar this fall in Savannah, Ga., entitled Judicial Philosophy and American Law. The course had special emphasis on judicial philosophies and historical events that have played a part in forming American law in its present form. Tracing the nation’s history beginning with the Declaration of Independence through the earliest days of the U.S. Constitution and on through the Civil War, the New Deal, and ultimately to present day, this course revisited the past to provide enlightenment for application of judicial philosophies toward future problems.
“The value of the opportunity - - both socially and intellectually - - is incalculable. Judges from across the nation can now speak with the same wisdom on our system of jurisprudence, enlightened by various judicial philosophies, to citizens in their own counties, with school classes and among colleagues,” said Judge Robilio, immediate past president of the Memphis Association for Women Attorneys (AWA).
Inspired by the knowledge gained during the seminar, Judge Robilio plans to organize a Continuing Legal Education Seminar to present to local bar associations next year with a focus on the “History of U.S. Supreme Court Rulings.”
Judge Robilio, an East Memphis resident, also participates in state court conferences, local continuing legal education and Memphis Bar Association classes.
“It’s important to stay current in one’s profession. Just as no one ever ‘arrives’ or tops out as being the best that he or she can be in this lifetime, the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is a continual journey,” she added.
Judge Robilio’s seminar attendance was supported by a scholarship awarded by the State Justice Institute (SJI), a nonprofit organization established by Federal law to award grants to improve the quality of justice in State courts nationwide, facilitate better coordination between State and Federal courts and foster innovative, efficient solutions to common problems faced by all courts. More information about the Institute is available on the SJI site, www.statejustice.org. Judge Robilio’s seminar was held Sept. 9-14, 2006.