Film and Discussion “RBG” with Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht, litigator Ann-Marie Ahern, and Prof. Jonathan Entin- moderated by attorney Courtney Cardin

Screen the film, RBG, and discover the exceptional life and career of the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. Then tune in on Zoom for a discussion with Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht, award winning employment litigator Ann-Marie Ahern, and Professor Jonathan Entin, a former law clerk of Justice Ginsburg and David L. Brennan Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University- moderated by attorney Courtney Cardin
Presented in partnership between Classrooms Without Borders, The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, in celebration of the special exhibition, “Notorious RBG: The life and times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” on view at the Maltz Museum February through August 2021.

At the age of 85, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a lengthy legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But the unique personal journey of her rise to the nation’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans – until now. RBG explores Ginsburg’s life and career. From Betsy West and Julie Cohen, and co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films.

Justice David N. Wecht

The Honorable David N. Wecht was “Highly Recommended” by the Pennsylvania Bar Association for a seat on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and was elected statewide to a ten-year term in November 2015. He began his service to the Supreme Court in January 2016.

Justice Wecht served as a judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania from January 2012 to January 2016, authoring opinions in all areas of law and advocating for reform and transparency in the judicial system. He served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas for Pennsylvania’s Fifth Judicial District from February 2003 to January 2012. Over nearly nine years on the trial bench, he presided extensively in both the Civil and Family Divisions.

From January 2009 to January 2011, he served by appointment of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as an administrative judge of the Family Division, which encompasses both domestic relations cases and cases of juvenile dependency and delinquency. As administrative judge, he designed and implemented several reforms and innovations, including the Unified Family Court, the local rule on parenting coordination, and improved conflict counsel appointments in juvenile cases.

Prior to taking the bench, Justice Wecht was twice elected as Allegheny County’s Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphan’s Court. In that capacity, he pioneered innovations that included creation of a free will consultation program for seniors and authorship of a state law that prevents accused murderers from controlling their victims’ estates.

Justice Wecht is a 1984 summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale, where he was a National Merit Scholar and earned Yale College Distinction in both history and political science. At The Yale Law School, Justice Wecht was selected as notes editor of The Yale Law Journal, and as an editor of both the Yale Law & Policy Review and the Yale Journal of International Law. After graduating from The Yale Law School in 1987, he served as law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge George MacKinnon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Washington, D.C., and received the Award for Distinguished Service in that position. He then practiced law continuously with firms in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh until he took the bench in February 2003.

A frequent lecturer and author, Justice Wecht has taught for many years as an adjunct professor at Duquesne University School of Law and as an adjunct instructor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. He currently serves as a member of The American Law Institute and a fellow of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, and he is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. Justice Wecht has served on a number of civic and community boards, including the Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee, the Law Enforcement Advisory Committee of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee of the Community College of Allegheny County, the Juvenile Court Judges Commission, the Amen Corner, and others.

Ann-Marie Ahern

PrincipalAnn-Marie Ahern has devoted her entire career to representing people in employment disputes. Ann-Marie, who heads McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman’s Employment Practice, is a dedicated, tireless advocate and trusted advisor. For more than twenty years, she has successfully litigated hundreds of employment disputes on behalf of her clients. As a Certified Specialist in Labor and Employment Law, Ann-Marie is knowledgeable of all facets of employment law and represents employees at each stage of the employment relationship. She approaches her practice with the understanding that a career is more than a paycheck, and that the loss of a job can be devastating.Ann-Marie ha s tried cases to juries involving issues of age discrimination, sex discrimination and sexual harassment, race discrimination, disability discrimination/ failure to accommodate, wrongful discharge, and illegal retaliation. She was at the forefront of the #Metoo and sexual harassment awareness movement and has been a steadfast supporter of victims of all forms of illegal discrimination. She has obtained verdicts and settlements on behalf of her clients in excess of $60 million.
Ann-Marie also advocates on behalf of federal and state whistleblowers. She is committed to preventing and correcting fraud against the government. She represents relators in False Claims Act matters and helped her client secure an $11 million reward for his role as a whistleblower in one of the largest False Claims Act recoveries in US History.
Ann-Marie also regularly represents executives and other managers in negotiating employment agreements, severance agreements, and separation packages. She understands the complexities and sensitivities involved when high-level employees transition from one company to another.
Ann-Marie advises corporate clients as to employment law compliance and human resources practices. When companies receive complaints regarding sexual harassment, they often turn to Ann-Marie to serve as an impartial investigator of those claims.
Ann-Marie is an award-winning advocate. In 2020 she was named Employment Lawyer of the Year for Cleveland by Best Lawyers in America. She has also been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Ohio, as well as a Top 25 female lawyer in Cleveland. She is a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, and a 2020 inductee to the Cleveland Marshall College of Law Hall of Fame. She has been named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers. Ann-Marie is most proud, however, of the testimonials that she has received from the clients that she has helped through their employment crises.
Ann-Marie is a frequent lecturer on all issues involving employment law. She is regularly quoted by local and national media outlets including, Time.com, The Washington Post, SHRM, Real Clear Investigations, and USA Today.

Professor Jonathan Entin

Jonathan L. Entin is David L. Brennan Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University. Professor Entin was a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He has written extensively about constitutional law and civil rights. His teaching awards include the Distinguished Teacher Award from the CWRU Law Alumni Association, and four graduating classes named him Teacher of the Year; two others honored him as Administrator of the Year when he was the law school’s academic dean. He continues to teach and write while serving as the university’s faculty mediator.

Courtney Cardin
Courtney works at the intersection of politics, policy, and finance. Courtney works with influencers, brands, and campaigns to promote sustainable brands and progressive causes and fight disinformation with authenticity and integrity. As the Director of Partnerships and Influencer Engagement at Power the Polls, she directs a coalition of more than 400 business, nonprofit, and influencer partners that successfully recruited more than 750,000 people to sign-up to work the polls for the 2020 election.

In 2019, Courtney moved from Washington, DC to Melbourne, Australia and launched impact consulting business, BC Global Partners with fellow ROIer and Clinton campaign alumna, Sarah Bard. BC Global Partners works with clients in the U.S. Australia, Israel, and The Bahamas advising investors, entrepreneurs, and developers on sustainable investment, growth strategies, and the development of impact narratives and metrics with a focus on regenerative agriculture, sustainable development, conscious capitalism, and economic inclusion. Courtney is also a co-founder of the Blue Action Lab — a proving ground for developing, testing, and scaling Blue/Green technologies and solutions to empower coastal communities to survive and thrive in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

A trained attorney with a focus on antitrust and congressional investigations, Courtney previously represented Fortune 500 clients in private practice and served as Senior Counsel for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and an attorney for Secretary Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Courtney received a B.A. in International Studies and a B.A. in Jewish Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Don’t miss the exhibit!
“Notorious RBG: The life and times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” on view at the Maltz Museum February through August 2021.