Judge Robert Wilkins is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. We are delighted to welcome him to the Inn as he discusses legal issues related to his family’s history.
His great-grandmother, Edie, was enslaved in Kentucky from her birth in 1810 until she won her freedom in a lawsuit in 1862, during the US Civil War. Nonetheless, for decades after that, the Constitution facilitated the continuation and expansion of slavery in Kentucky and across a vast swathe of the United States. Today, conservative legal scholarship touts 'originalism', a fundamental interpretative approach, holding that the understandings of the founding era should govern how we define and interpret the Constitution now. Edie’s story and the stories of her contemporaries raise the critical question of whether the founders' values, at least in part, were fundamentally corrupted by bias and inhumanity toward those who were not like them. In this light, should the original intent of those founders be granted such dominant authority over the resolution of seminal legal issues today? Is it possible to argue for originalism and simultaneously to argue for Edie?
Benchers of Middle Temple and their guests only.
Unless the event sells out earlier, booking will close at 09:00 three working days before the event.
Members of Middle Temple can buy tickets online. Please note that you must log in first (if you have not yet created a login please register first). Alternatively, you can buy tickets from the Treasury Office by calling 020 7427 4800.
Members of other Inns, where applicable (please refer to 'Who can Attend'), can buy tickets from the Treasury Office by calling 020 7427 4800. Online booking is not available.
Cancellations: Where we have a waiting list we will offer your ticket to someone else, so please do cancel your ticket if you are no longer able to attend.
If you have questions about accessibility at the Inn or if you would like to request support, please email Richard Frost.
The Inn is committed to improving access to all its services and encourages members to get in touch with suggestions and feedback on how we can improve. If you feel your experience using the website or attending one of our events could be improved, please email Richard. Your suggestions will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Middle Temple endeavours to make the Inn as inclusive as possible for all of its members, guests and staff.
If you have questions regarding religious practice at the Inn or at Inn events, or if you would like to request support, please email the Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator Laura Hacon. The Inn endeavours to make reasonable adjustments where possible.
The Inn is committed to improving access to all its services and encourages members to get in touch with suggestions and feedback on how we can improve. If you feel your experience using the website or attending one of our events could be improved, please email Laura. Your suggestions will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Please be aware that photography, audio and video recording may take place at our events. These may be used for promotional purposes by the Inn, including in printed publications, on our website, and on our social media accounts. If you do not wish to have your photograph taken or to have images of you used, please alert the Membership Team at the start of the event. We are unable to guarantee that you will not be included in the background of photographs that are being taken. Contact: 020 7427 6385, members@middletemple.org.uk
All personal data that the Inn stores and processes is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Inn’s Data Protection Policy. You can ask the Inn to stop using your images at any time, or request to see the personal data that the Inn holds on you. For more information please visit the Data Protection page http://www.middletemple.org.uk/about-us/data-protection