11/9/00--Former Massachusetts Chief Justice and current BCLS faculty member Herbert Wilkins, and BCLS Professor Charles Baron, were guest commentators during the Annual Homans Program on Constitutional and Civil Rights, held November 8 in the Full Bench Courtroom of the Supreme Judicial Court.

The program focused upon the recent decision of the Supreme Court in Vermont in Baker v. State as an example of the increasing importance of state constitutional interpretation. In three separate opinions the Baker court held that denying same-sex couples the benefits and protections accorded to opposite-sex married couples violated the Vermont constitution. Commentators during the Homans Program discussed the increasing reliance of state courts on state constitutional interpretation in expanding and protecting individual rights and liberties. They also discussed how the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has historically taken a leading role in interpreting the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights as providing broader protections than that of the federal constitution.

Professor Robert Williams of Rutgers University School of Law, a leading state constitutional law expert, presented his perspective on the lessons that could be learned about the new judicial federalism occurring in the state supreme courts using the Vermont case as a central example. Baron and Justice Wilkins both offered perceptive commentaries on Williams' talk and some of the interesting problems raised in state supreme court analyses of state constitutions. The program proved the importance of state constitutional decisionmaking and interesting legal analyses occurring in that area.

"The questions were extremely lively," said BCLS Professor Mary Bilder, who attended the event. "The evening once again demonstrated to the Massachusetts bar the great strength of the Boston College Law School faculty. I was extremely proud that we were represented by two distinguished faculty members who both offered perceptive analyses and raised difficult and provocative questions."

Justice Wilkins is currently Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Court Historical Society. BCLS Faculty members Mary Bilder, Baron, and Avi Soifer, are members of the Board of Overseers and are active on a number of the committees.

The Annual Homans Program, which is supported by the William P. Homans, Jr. Endowment, took place on Wednesday, November 8, at 6:00 p.m. A reception was held in the Thorndike Library immediately following the program.