REINFORCING AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS: WHY AMERICANS SHOULD TRUST MEDIA AND THE JUDICIARY Sponsor: Office of the Kentucky Secretary of State CLE Credit: 1.0 Thursday, June 22, 2017 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. East Ballroom A-B Owensboro Convention Center Owensboro, Kentucky A NOTE CONCERNING THE PROGRAM MATERIALS The materials included in this Kentucky Bar Association Continuing Legal Education handbook are intended to provide current and accurate information about the subject matter covered. No representation or warranty is made concerning the application of the legal or other principles discussed by the instructors to any specific fact situation, nor is any prediction made concerning how any particular judge or jury will interpret or apply such principles. The proper interpretation or application of the principles discussed is a matter for the considered judgment of the individual legal practitioner. The faculty and staff of this Kentucky Bar Association CLE program disclaim liability therefore. Attorneys using these materials, or information otherwise conveyed during the program, in dealing with a specific legal matter have a duty to research original and current sources of authority. Printed by: Evolution Creative Solutions 7107 Shona Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45237 Kentucky Bar Association TABLE OF CONTENTS The Presenters ................................................................................................................. i 2016 Kentucky Civic Health Index ................................................................................... 1 Introduction and Comparison ............................................................................... 5 New Indicators: Confidence in Public Institutions ................................................ 7 A Focus on Political Engagement ........................................................................ 8 Moving Forward ................................................................................................. 11 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 12 Endnotes ........................................................................................................... 13 THE PRESENTERS Krystal Ball Pelican Media 239 Haldeman Avenue Louisville, Kentucky 40206 (540) 841-3801 [email protected] KRYSTAL BALL is an author, activist and Senior Fellow at the New Leaders Council. She was central to Glamour magazine's political coverage where she highlighted political issues of particular importance to women. For the previous three years, Ms. Ball co- hosted MSNBC's topical news, politics and culture daily program, The Cycle. While at MSNBC she also developed and co-produced Krystal Clear (KC), a flagship feature of MSNBC's all digital channel Shift, and anchored live stream coverage of special events like the 2014 mid-term elections and the 2015 State of the Union. Ms. Ball was also a candidate for the United States Congress in Virginia's first congressional district in the 2010 election. She is the author of the recently published book, Reversing the Apocalypse: Hijacking the Democratic Party to Save the World. Judge Jennifer B. Coffman, Ret. 358 South Mill Street Lexington, Kentucky 40508 [email protected] Judge Jennifer B. Coffman was appointed as United States District Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky on October 22, 1993, and elevated to Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Kentucky on October 15, 2007. The first female to hold either of those positions within the Commonwealth of Kentucky, she retired from the federal district bench on January 9, 2013. Judge Coffman was appointed in 2011 to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees requests by the United States national security community for surveillance of suspected foreign intelligence agents. She also retired from this position in January, 2013. Currently she is an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Kentucky College of Law, where she directs the Judicial Externship Program, facilitates a Visiting Judge initiative, and assists with philanthropic efforts. Prior to her federal judicial appointment, Judge Coffman was a trial lawyer whose practice focused on the areas of education, employment and Constitutional law. She received her B.A. and M.S. from the University of Kentucky and her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Judge Coffman was in the inaugural class of the UK College of Law Alumni Hall of Fame in 1996 and was named outstanding Alumnus by the UK College of Communications in 2013-14. In 2015 she was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni. i Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes 700 Capital Avenue, Suite 152 Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 (502) 564-3490 SECRETARY OF STATE ALISON LUNDERGAN GRIMES is Kentucky's 76th Secretary of State and youngest Secretary of State in the country. Secretary Grimes has never backed away from a challenge because of her deep conviction for standing up for what is right. Her lifelong passion is to give a voice to the voiceless. She learned the value of public service at an early age by helping to take people to the polls on election day and by volunteering with her family, including distributing Thanksgiving dinners to the homeless. Before beginning her career in public service, Secretary Grimes provided free legal help to victims of domestic violence. As a successful business attorney, she helped businesses open and expand, allowing them to create jobs and foster economic growth. Secretary Grimes has always worked to increase opportunities for every Kentuckian. As Secretary of State, Grimes has helped modernize and streamline government services to make sure Kentucky’s doors are truly open for small businesses. Her efforts, which include a nationally-recognized one-stop business portal, are helping businesses spend less time interacting with government and more time creating jobs and giving back to their communities. More than 150,000 new businesses have been started under Secretary Grimes' administration. Secretary Grimes has worked tirelessly to break down barriers to the ballot box. She implemented online voter registration for every Kentuckian and has ushered in historic new laws that protect the voting rights of victims of domestic violence and absentee voters. Her efforts have maintained the integrity of elections and saved counties thousands of dollars. She has been a steadfast advocate for the restoration of voting rights for Kentucky’s non-violent felons who have served their sentences and paid their debts to society. Notably, Secretary Grimes' recommendations for improving the state’s military voting procedures were signed into law as Kentucky’s first-ever Military Heroes Voting Initiative, ensuring that military members can receive their ballots electronically and have sufficient time to vote. Secretary Grimes received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, where she served as a trustee to the Board of Directors. She obtained her law degree, graduating with honors, from American University, Washington College of Law, in Washington, DC. ii Terry Meiners WHAS Radio and Television 4000 Radio Drive, Suite 1 Louisville, Kentucky 40218 (502) 479-2288 [email protected] TERRY MEINERS is a radio and television host in Louisville. On his daily shows he interviews newsmakers, sports people, imaginary characters, and virtually any real person who walks in through the WHAS studio door. Mr. Meiners has been on Kentucky airwaves for forty years, starting at Lexington's WKQQ in 1976. He co-hosts the morning TV show Great Day Live with Rachel Platt on WHAS-TV, then hosts the afternoon WHAS radio show until the night watchman tells him to go home. Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr. Supreme Court of Kentucky Warren County Justice Center 1001 Center Street, Suite 305 Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101 (270) 745-7867 [email protected] CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN D. MINTON, JR. was elected to the Supreme Court of Kentucky in 2006 and re-elected to another eight-year term in 2014. His fellow justices elected him for a four-year term as Chief Justice in 2008, 2012 and 2016. In July 2016, Chief Justice Minton was elected by his fellow chief justices to serve a one-year term as president of the Conference of Chief Justices and chair of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors. He is also a member of the board of directors for the State Justice Institute, a federal nonprofit corporation that awards grants to improve the quality of justice in state courts. President Obama nominated him to the SKI board and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination in December, 2016. Chief Justice Minton was in private practice for fifteen years before serving as a circuit judge from 1992 to 2003 and a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge from 2003 to 2006. He holds degrees from Western Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky College of Law. Chief Justice Minton previously served on the boards of the Conference of Chief Justices and the Council of State Governments and is a 2010 alumnus of the prestigious Toll Fellowship Program, one of the nation’s top leadership development programs for state government officials. In 2003, the Kentucky Bar Association honored him with its Outstanding Judge Award. He was named Distinguished Jurist in 2012 by the University of Kentucky College of Law Alumni Association, and was inducted into the Western Kentucky University Hall of Distinguished