5/22/08 Conyers Keynotes 5/29 "Taking Back the Courts"

Congressman John Conyers
to address OCDP May 29  Event: "Taking Back the Courts."

For over 25
years Oakland County Republicans have focused their efforts on the court
system.  Oakland County Democrats are ready to fire back.  OCDP’s
Rule of Law reception launches the Democrats’ grassroots effort to take back
the courts, so that equal justice under law can again be the focus of Oakland County’s courts. 

For far too
long far too many Democrats have virtually ignored the importance of our
judicial races.   This event is an opportunity for the legal
community to gather in support of equal justice under law and work to make it a
reality. At the federal level the Bush Administration has made a mockery
of our justice system by appointing judges that espouse extreme views on social
issues and favor special and corporate interests, rather than the rule of law
equally applied to all.

The Oakland County
Democratic Party will pay tribute to the justice community at its Rule of Law
Reception May 29.  Keynote speaker for the event is ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­U.S. Representative John
Conyers. 

The
event takes place at the Troy Hilton 5500 Crooks Road, Troy MI 48098 and is open to the
public. The VIP reception begins at 6:00 p.m., the General reception
starts at 6:30 p.m. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. 

Congressman
Conyers chairs the U.S. House Judicial Committee. Conyers was a member of the
Judiciary Committee during hearings on the Watergate impeachment scandal and
played a prominent role in the recent impeachment process, giving him the
distinction as the only Judiciary Committee Member to have served on both
panels.  He is also one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional
Black Caucus (CBC) and is considered the
Dean of that group. 

Michigan
Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly will be honored with OCDP’s 2008 Wings of
Justice Award for her commitment to public service.  

Justice
Kelly was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1996.  She has served
twelve years on the Michigan Board of Education, the last two as its President,
and was president of the Women's Bar Association and of the Women Lawyers' Association
of Michigan. She has been a member of the State Bar
Representative Assembly and the Family Law Council for the State Bar of
Michigan. Justice Kelly has served as co-chair of the Open Justice Commission.
She is on the governing board of the National Consortium for Racial and Ethnic
Fairness in the Courts.

Also
speaking at the event will be former State Court of Appeals Judge Jessica
Cooper.

Ms. Cooper was a founding member and the first
president of the Michigan chapter of the American Constitution Society. Additionally, she
currently serves on the Executive Committee and is a Master and Team Leader of
the American Inns of Court through the Oakland County Bar Association. Ms.
Cooper is a qualified civil mediator in Michigan and a certified arbitrator for the American Arbitration
Association.

 OCDP
chair Dave Woodward will serve as master of ceremonies.  

The
event helps fund Democratic campaigns in Oakland County and the state of Michigan.         

VIP reception tickets are $250 per person and General Reception tickets are
$165 per person. Tickets are available by calling OCDP at 248-584-0510 or Click here purchase online.

 Paid for by
OAKLAND COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY, 515 S. Lafayette, Ste C, Royal Oak, MI 
48067.  www.ocdp.org 
and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.  Your
donation may be used in connection with federal elections, and is subject to
the limits and prohibitions of the Federal Campaign Act. If you are an
individual paying more than $200 to the OCPD this year, federal law requires we
use our best efforts to report