Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education

Kline Center for Judicial Education

The Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University supports the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in its ongoing efforts to enhance the administration of justice through high quality continuing education for judges of the Commonwealth.

In partnership with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts' (AOPC) Judicial Education Department, the Kline Center provides administrative assistance and organizational support in the development and delivery of continuing judicial education courses throughout Pennsylvania.

Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University alumnus Thomas R. Kline gave $7.5 million in 2017 to establish the innovative center at his alma mater. Most recently, Kline committed $50 million to provide transformational support to Duquesne's 111-year-old law school. His gift constitutes the single largest commitment to Duquesne in its 144-year history. Kline is a 1978 Duquesne Law graduate, founding partner of the firm Kline & Specter, PC, in Philadelphia, and one of Pennsylvania's most successful trial attorneys.

"The best program in my 26 years of being a judge."

Judicial Attendee about the book talk with Jeffrey Rosen

Recent Program Highlights

Book Talk with Author Jeff Rosen

In May 2025, the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education hosted its third annual Book Talk Continuing Judicial Education Program. This year’s featured author was Professor Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, who discussed his acclaimed book, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America.

April barton, zac kline, tom kline, ken gormley, and erin karsman

Bob Dylan: Music, Lyrics, and the Law

In April 2025, the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education hosted Bob Dylan: Music, Lyrics, and the Law, an innovative Continuing Judicial and Legal Education program attended by over 250 judges and lawyers. Led by Thomas R. Kline (L’78) and his son Zac Kline, a playwright and lawyer, the session analyzed Dylan’s lyrics through ethical and legal lenses. The Klines, who have attended more than 100 Dylan concerts across six countries and three continents, shared their expertise alongside a live band featuring two Duquesne Mary Pappert School of Music graduates, who performed Dylan's music throughout the event.

Featured National Collaboration

Nearly 100 judges and attorneys from across the globe convened at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University from December 2-5, 2024, for a four-day conference entitled “Artificial Intelligence for Judges and Lawyers: A Comprehensive Course.” The innovative and informative conference outlined the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the law. It was a collaboration between the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education and the National Judicial College.

Past Program Highlights

Distinguished Speaker Series

John Q. Barrett

“Justice Robert H. Jackson and the U.S. Supreme Court's Path to Brown v. Board of Education"

Benjamin N. Cardozo Professor of Law at St. John's University
Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow at the Robert H. Jackson Center

Professor Barrett recounts the pivotal but often overlooked role Justice Robert H. Jackson played in the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Through newly unearthed insights from Jackson’s biography, the presentation sheds light on his influence in shaping the Court’s seminal decision.Watch the recording

Pamela S. Karlan

Headshot of Pamela S. Karlan “The Supreme Court and the Protection of American Democracy"
September 18, 2023

Pamela S. Karlan
Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law
Co-Director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
Stanford Law School

Professor Karlan, a nationally-known legal scholar specializing in Constitutional Law, discusses voting rights and the U.S. Supreme Court. She explores the intellectual underpinnings of this legal area, the surrounding constitutional and statutory framework, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Court's historical and modern jurisprudence on voting rights. Her presentation offers a perspective rooted in jurisprudential history and precedent on a topic highly relevant to contemporary society and American democracy.

Read about the event

Honorable Jeffery S. Sutton

Headshot of Judge Sutton “Role of State Courts and State Constitutions in Our American Legal System"
October 25, 2022

Chief Judge Sutton
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Chief Judge Sutton speaks about the foundational concepts underlying his two published books: 51 Imperfect Solutions and Who Decides: States as Laboratories of Constitutional Experimentation. His lecture primarily explores themes related to jurisprudential philosophy, constitutional law, federalism, and the judicial decision-making process, all of which are inextricably linked to a judge' knowledge base and courtroom practice.

AI Focus

Virtual Care, Artificial Intelligence, and Medical Malpractice: Legal Complexities and Evolving Standards of Care

May 8 & 15, 2025
Professor Sharona Hoffman, Joseph P. McMenamin, Maulik Shah, Professor Kelsey Schweiberger, Professor Michelle M. Mello, Adjunct Professor Peter D. Giglione

Examines the impact of remote patient interactions, AI-assisted diagnostics, multi-state licensure, and the admissibility of telehealth records, alongside related questions of liability. The speakers also offer practical insights into future challenges courts may face in addressing these evolving issues.

AI & The Future of Democracy: Ethics, Law, and Policy

April 10, 2024
Dean April Barton, Professor Ryan Williams, Matthew Ferraro, Professor Jacqueline Lipton

Explores the potential impact of generative AI on ethics, law, and governmental policy-making. This program helps judges deepen their understanding of AI and related technologies, emphasizing how these tools are influencing ethical decision-making, access to justice, and fairness.

Watch the program recording

Demystifying Artificial Intelligence: Understanding Natural Processing in Today's Legal Landscape

March 12, 2024
Professor Wes Oliver, Adjunct Professor Morgan Gray

Natural Language Processing (NLP) and relevant technologies are explained to help judges critically evaluate algorithms and models, while strengthening judicial literacy in assessing AI systems in legal contexts.

Deepfake Audio & Video: Exploring Concerns for the Courtroom

November 9 & 16, 2021
Matthew Ferraro, Professor Riana Pfefferkorn, Professor Paweł Koros,

Nationally acclaimed "deepfake" experts review the core technology and examine concerns related to authenticating digital evidence. They also explore the broader impact of deepfakes on numerous substantive areas of law, relevant legislative developments, ethical considerations for judges and lawyers, and national security issues.

Book Talk Series

The PURSUIT of HAPPINESS: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America by Jeffrey Rosen

The PURSUIT of HAPPINESS: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America
by Jeffrey Rosen

April 29, 2025

Discusses a deeper understanding of the historical and philosophical origins of "the pursuit of happiness" and its influence on the Founding Fathers' vision for the U.S. constitutional framework. The author also explores how these principles continue to inform judicial philosophy today.

The Great Dissent: How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind – and Changed the History of Free Speech in America by Thomas Healy

The Great Dissent: How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind – and Changed the History of Free Speech in America
by Thomas Healy

May 9, 2024

Analyzes the foundational free speech opinions that led Justice Holmes to introduce the concept of the "marketplace of ideas." The author explores how these judicial philosophies continue to shape the modern role of judge in democracy.

Democratic Justice: Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court, and the Making of the Liberal Agenda by Brad Snyder

Democratic Justice: Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court, and the Making of the Liberal Agenda
by Brad Snyder

May 16, 2023

Explores how Felix Frankfurter, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, contributed to American law and jurisprudence. The author also discusses the value of legal history and judicial auto-biographies as essential resources for judges.