UPDATES & ANALYSIS

Des Moines will host 2018 Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference

by Rox Laird | August 1, 2017

Federal court practitioners and court observers may want to keep their schedules flexible next summer: The 2018 Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference is scheduled to be held in Des Moines Aug. 15-17.

The conference could feature an appearance by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was assigned last month by Chief Justice John Roberts to be the circuit justice for the Eighth Circuit, which is made up of Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Arkansas.

Gorsuch replaces Justice Samuel Alito Jr., who was assigned to the Third Circuit. Previously, Justice Clarence Thomas was the circuit justice for the Eighth Circuit. For many years, Justice Harry Blackmun, a Minnesota native, had that assignment.

Among other duties, the circuit justice typically attends the judicial conference held in one of the states in the circuit. It’s too early to say for certain whether Gorsuch will attend the Des Moines conference, however.

While attendance at judicial conferences is limited to judges in odd-numbered years, it is open to members of the bar in even-numbered years. Those sessions typically include speeches and panel discussions on court-related topics that regularly draw lawyers who practice in the federal courts.

The 2016 circuit conference, held in Rogers, Arkansas, in May included a speech by Chief Justice Roberts. The circuit conference was last held in Des Moines in July 1995.

The 2018 event will be held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center. The Hilton Hotel, which is under construction adjacent to the convention center, is expected to open next spring.

Tags: Eighth Circuit, Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference, Justice Neil Gorsuch