The League of Women Voters of Marion and Polk Counties will celebrate the 222nd anniversary of the United States Constitution on Thursday evening, September 17, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in Salem Public Library’s Loucks Auditorium at 585 Liberty St. SE (map).

The evening's program will feature a debate between students on the Mock Trial teams of West Salem High School and McNary High School, on the selection processes for judges in federal and state courts. The students will compare the election process that is required of state judges with the appointment process that is established in the U.S. Constitution for federal judges and U.S. Supreme Court justices.

The main speaker will be The Hon. Susan Leeson, retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice, who currently organizes and participates in an Alternative Dispute Resolution Program at the U.S. District Court in Portland,. From her experience as a Judicial Fellow at the U.S. Supreme Court, as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals (1993-98) and as a Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court (1998-2003), Justice Leeson will give her unique perspective, entitled “Looking at the Courts from the Inside and Out”. We are truly privileged to have such a distinguished speaker.

Salem City Club, Marion County Bar Association and Salem Public Library are co-sponsoring the event, which is open to the public. The program will focus on the judicial branch of government and the importance of preserving judicial independence.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization that works to improve our system of government through education and advocacy. The League never supports or opposes political parties or candidates, but studies issues of public policy. The League welcomes men and women as members.

For more information about the September 17 program or about the League, contact Sandra Smith Gangle, Constitution Day Program Chair, LWVMPC, at gangle@peak.org or 503-581-4440.