State Constitutional Commentary was inaugurated in 1996, as a special annual issue of the Albany Law Review, by Faculty Advisor, Professor Vincent Martin Bonventre, with the encouragement of the Honorary Chair, Former New York Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke (Albany Law School Class of 1938), and the assistance of then-Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, J. Dormer Stephen III (Class of 1996). State Constitutional Commentary is dedicated to the examination of state constitutional law in the broadest sense, to encompass all varieties of law and the judicial process—e.g., common law, constitutional and statutory provisions, judicial decisions and decision-making, and state courts themselves—that fall within a wide expanse of "public law."
Organization and History
Professor Vincent Martin Bonventre, Faculty Advisor of the Albany Law Review, is the founder and Editor of State Constitutional Commentary. In its early years, this special annual issue was assisted by the advice of a Professional Board of jurists and scholars from law and law-related fields, including New York Chief Judge Lawerence H. Cooke, Arizona Chief Justice Stanley G. Feldman, California Justice Stanley Mosk, Utah Chief Justice Christine Durham, Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Canisus College Professor Peter Galie, and John Jay Professor Barry Latzer, and Rutgers Professor Stanley H. Friedelbaum who previously published State Constitutional Commentaries & Notes, the predecessor of State Constitutional Commentary.
The Annual Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke State Constitutional Commentary Symposium
In the Spring of 2007, the Albany Law Review inaugurated an annual tradition of honoring the late New York Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke by holding a Symposium in his name.
For the 2024 Cooke Symposium, the recently appointed New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson and former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman shared notes on presiding over the state's highest court and of the state's judiciary. Transcript available at THE EMINENCE AND EXPERIENCE—AND EXHAUSTION—OF BEING NEW YORK’S CHIEF JUDGE
New York's Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman moderated a panel of state Chief Justices from around the country for High Courts, Center Seat: Chief Justices at Albany Law, the 2015 Cooke Symposium.
Link to initial flyer HERE.
The 2014 Chief Judge Cooke Symposium: state supreme courts from around the country and the New York Solicitor General on Exceeding Federal Standards.
More information, HERE.
In 2013, the Judges of the NY Court of Appeals: The Untold Secrets of Eagle Street.
For more information, click HERE.
Complete transcript available HERE.
In 2012, The State of State Courts, brought Chief Justices Shirley Abrahamson of Wisconsin, Christine Durham of Utah, and Chase Rogers of Connecticut to speak on a wide array of issues facing state court, in a free wheeling discussion moderated by New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman.
In 2011, the Cooke symposium was Great Women, Great Chiefs featuring three of the nation's most eminent jurists. Chief Justice Margaret Marshall of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Chief Justice Marsha Ternus from the Iowa Supreme Court, and Chief Justice Jean Toal of the South Carolina Supreme Court shared their insights as the presiding members of the highest court and the judicial branch of their respective states.
In 2010, Wrongful Convictions: Understanding and Addressing Criminal Injustice, the moderator, New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, led a discussion on the origins of and modern solutions to wrongful convictions. To view a video of the event, please click HERE.
A break from the Wrongful Convictions symposium, 2010
In 2009, Tough Call: State High Court Judges on Making Their Hardest Decisions, the panel included Acting Chief Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg of Rhode Island, Associate Justice (retired) John M. Greaney of Massachusetts, Senior Associate Justice Flemming L. Norcott, Jr. of Connecticut, and Associate Judge Robert S. Smith of New York. A podcast of the event is available HERE.
In 2008, Judges on Judges, featured the entire New York Court of Appeals speaking about their favorite judges in the court's history.
In 2007, the inaugural year, the symposium featured a Discussion with the Chief Justices, a panel that included Chief Justices James Hannah of Arkansas, Christine Durham of Utah, and Shirley Abrahamson of Wisconsin, as well as then-Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye of New York to whom the symposium was dedicated.
