About the Program
Left to Right: Ms. Malika Saada Saar, Professor Melissa Murray, and Ms. Arlene Ford
For over four decades, the Justice and Society Program (JSP) has convened individuals from diverse backgrounds to discuss the meaning of justice and how a just society ought to balance fundamental rights with the exigencies of public policy, in order to meet contemporary social challenges and strengthen the rule of law. The annual Justice and Society Seminar, held in Aspen and co-founded by the late Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, continues to be led by preeminent judges and law professors.
Left to Right: Hon. Stephen Rapp, Hon. Dame Silvia Cartwright, Hon. David Scheffer, and Ms. Meryl Chertoff
Through our public programming component—which includes periodic roundtables as the Aspen Institute’s Washington office and presentations by leading jurists—we bring to the table public officials, established and emerging opinion leaders, and public interest advocates to share their perspectives in a neutral and balanced forum.
Our goal is to foster civil and respectful dialogue, seek compromise, and develop strategies for positive change. Justice and Society Program conversations pose open-ended questions, elevate the public discourse, and enable participants to find common ground.