State Supreme Court Practice: Ethics, Access to Justice, and the Evolving Role of Technology
CASE SUMMARY
Background
State supreme courts decide the vast majority of legal disputes that most directly affect Americans’ daily lives—from family law and parental rights to complex commercial litigation and constitutional interpretation. Yet lawyers are often trained primarily through a federal-court lens, despite the distinct procedural rules, ethical challenges, and institutional pressures that define state court practice.
Recorded live at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, this CLE program brings together jurists from Texas, Florida, and the District of Columbia to examine how judicial selection methods, docket structures, rule-making authority, and emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence—affect ethical lawyering in state courts. The discussion also addresses the access-to-justice crisis facing unrepresented litigants and the professional obligations of lawyers who practice before tribunals with limited resources and heavy caseloads.
Panelists
- Sarah Isgur, Senior Editor, The Dispatch; Co-Host, Advisory Opinions Podcast
- The Honorable Evan Young, Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
- The Honorable Carlos G. Muñiz, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Florida
- The Honorable Joshua Deahl, Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Please note that this program qualifies for Ethics CLE credit, as it addresses lawyers’ professional responsibilities in state-court practice, including competence, access to justice, judicial integrity, and the ethical use of emerging technologies in legal proceedings. Jurisdiction-specific credit availability may vary. Credits will only be eligible in the following states:
Eligibility Details
Approved: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia (Texas will be approved on January 1, 2026)
Self-Apply: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
May Qualify (The program is eligible for CLE but there’s no formal approval procedure in these states): Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, New Hampshire