Constitution Day will feature
U.S. District Court Judge Leon Holmes

Sept. 13, 2005 -- Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will hold a morning-long "Celebration in Learning" in honor of the U. S. Constitution on Monday, Sept. 19.

Events include a keynote speaker, focus groups, and roundtable presentations, all being held on the third floor of the ASU Student Union.  The public is invited to join ASU students, faculty, and staff, as well as selected high school students. The event is under the direction of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

U. S. District Court Judge Leon Holmes will make a presentation beginning at 9 a.m. in the Student Union Auditorium. His remarks are entitled, “Beginning at the Beginning:  On Studying the Constitution in College.”

A native of Hazen, Holmes earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arkansas State University, a doctorate from Duke University, and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  He has served as a federal judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas since July 2004 when the U. S. Senate confirmed his appointment by President George W. Bush.

Judge Holmes’s talk will be followed by two roundtables at 10 and 11 addressing the process of selecting and confirming Supreme Court justices and the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment. 

Participants may also attend a series of focus groups looking at such topics as the “Rights of the Accused,” “The Fourth Amendment, the War on Drugs, and the War on Terror,” and “Separation of Powers.”

Constitution Day is a new federal observance that marks the anniversary of the signing of the U. S. Constitution.  Although the official holiday falls on September 17, ASU will recognize the 218th anniversary of the signing two days later on Monday, Sept. 19.

For further information, contact Dr. Carol O’Connor, associate dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, at coconnor@astate.edu or 972-3973.

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