American lawyers, when admitted to practice law, swear, or these days affirm, that they will uphold the laws and Constitution of the United States.  Moreover, every state has promulgated its own laws — laws that attorneys practicing within that state must also swear to follow.  In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, every active practicing attorney must take 12 credits of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses annually — two of which must be on ethics.  This CLE requirement varies by state.  Somebody forgot to tell the presenters of a Constitutional Law Symposium I attended, held in Philadelphia in 2007, that they were supposed to be presenting a CLE that upholds the law, not trashes it.  Typically, constitutional law CLEs cover an update on recent Supreme Court decisions, analysis of a decision's impact, or analysis of a specific part of the Constitution itself. On this day, the panel comprised law school deans and...(Read Full Post)