Join us on Friday, September 17 at 12 pm (CST) to recognize Constitution Day with NIU Law Professor Emeritus Mark Cordes as he presents, “After 234 Years, Is It Time for a New Constitution — or at Least a New Supreme Court?”
The Constitution is a venerated part of our national identity, but subject to increasing criticism and calls for change. The same is true for the Supreme Court, with a Presidential Commission examining possible Court reforms. This talk will first discuss the remarkable, and yet deeply flawed, document that the Founders gave us, and assess how well the Constitution and the Court have withstood the test of time. It will then examine calls for amending the Constitution and proposals on how to reform the Supreme Court.
Registration
Attend in person (Swen Parson 170) or register via Zoom.
MCLE Credit
This program has been approved for 1 hour general MCLE for IL attorneys.
Presentation Materials
Mark Cordes, Professor Emeritus
Mark Cordes has taught courses in property, land use controls, constitutional law, first amendment and environmental law. He was editor-in-chief of the Willamette Law Review and served as a law clerk to Justice Thomas Tongue of the Oregon Supreme Court after graduation from law school. Prior to coming to NIU, he was a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School for two years. He served as interim dean of the NIU College of Law from June 2015 to June 2016 and was appointed interim dean again from June 2017 to June 2019.
Professor Cordes is the author of more than two dozen book chapters and law review articles in the areas of property, free speech, religion, environmental law and land use controls. He was a significant contributor to the revision of Thompson on Real Property, a leading multi-volume treatise on property law. In addition to his law review articles, he also contributed five entries to the Encyclopedia of American Civil Liberties.
Professor Cordes is an avid runner, having completed sixteen marathons, including eleven Chicago Marathons. Cordes served in the U.S. Army from 1970-72, including a tour in Vietnam, where he earned the Combat Infantry Badge and the Purple Heart.
His areas of Expertise include Property, Environmental law, Land use controls, Constitutional law, and First amendment. He received his B.S., Portland State University; M.A., Fuller Theological Seminary; J.D., Willamette University; and J.S.M., Stanford University.
