Local courts dispense more justice than any others. Among the 62 villages in Nassau County and the same number of counties in the grand state of New York, the Westbury Justice Court is considered a model court by more than 2,000 town and village justices statewide. The objective of the Westbury Justice Court has been to make it consumer friendly by bringing the law to the community. Each year for the past eight years we have celebrated Constitution Day on or about Sept. 17, commemorating the day when that great document was adopted in 1787 followed by our Bill of Rights in 1791. Both documents adorn the walls of our courtroom, together with the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta.
This year our celebration will occur on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. in our Village Justice Court located at 235 Lincoln Place, Westbury, New York. The entire community is always invited to hear distinguished speakers addressing important Constitutional issues of the day.
In this Presidential year, the Broadway musical Hamilton gives us an exciting theme, namely: Hamilton: Lessons To Be Learned. Among our honored and very distinguished guest speakers will be Dean Michael Simons, a Westburyite and acclaimed mentor of the St. John’s University School of Law. Dean Simons is a brilliant teacher from whom we may all learn. His natural presentation in this year’s Law Day program on Miranda v. Arizona and the law of confessions gave everyone present insight into this most important part of the law particularly relating to wrongful convictions.
Lawrence Boes, Esq., a former partner at the venerated international law firm of Fulbright and Jaworski and former chair of our code review commission, will be authoring a brief written introduction on Hamilton for the program. Also joining us as speakers will be Edward Paltzik, Esq. and Erica Dubno, Esq., two rising stars in the legal profession. Other speakers and parts of the program will soon be announced. There will be more than a few exciting surprises that night. Students are also invited.
Particularly in this Presidential year with so much rhetoric being said or written about concerning the Constitution, it is important for all of us to be well informed on these subjects. There is a real need for programs such as this so that we may be informed about issues of the day by speakers well acquainted with these matters from both professional and personal experiences.
