The plenary sessions will highlight the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the importance of protecting the ideals and rights captured so long ago; the Ethics of Spirituality and Leadership; the Constitutional Separation of Powers; and Pursuing Justice and Embracing Challenges.

Keynote: Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Eric H. Holder Jr., former U.S. Attorney General and co-author of Our Unfinished March, brings a deeply informed, justice-oriented perspective to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Holder explores how the right to vote—central to the democratic vision of the Declaration—has been expanded, threatened, and defended across U.S. history, and why protecting it is essential to honoring America’s founding ideals.

Over 20 national speakers, including:

• Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Berkeley
• U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa, District Court of Arizona
• Richard Phillips, Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative
• Chief Judge Daniel B. Shanes, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Illinois
• Chief Justice Debra Stephens, Washington Supreme Court
• Chief Justice David K. Thomson, New Mexico Supreme Court

One full day is dedicated to breakout tracks, including AI and the Future of the Judiciary, Practical Skills for Judges, Justice at the Intersections, and the Judicial Science School (Los Alamos National Laboratory).

"We are honored and excited to work with the National Judicial College, a first ever collaboration on a national conference between the NJC and a state court education institute. You will enjoy a national legal education curriculum in the Land of Enchantment. - Hon. David K. Thomson, Chief Justice, New Mexico Supreme Court