Lord Jonathan Sumption OBE Public Lecture: Rule of Law in a Time of Crisis

Please note this event has sold out. A recording will be available at a later dater. 

About this event

The Robert Menzies Institute (RMI) and The University of Queensland School of Law are proud to host Lord Jonathan Sumption as he addresses the rule of law in a time of crisis at this free public lecture.

You will be welcomed by the RMI’s CEO Georgina Downer and UQ’s Dean of Law Rick Bigwood and invited to network with Lord Sumption and guests over canapés and drinks following the lecture.

Event summary

The COVID-19 pandemic saw governments around the world respond using various methods to flatten the curve. Each federal, or indeed state, decision resulted in a considerable impact on the local judicial system and rule of law. As we collectively emerge from this historic event and return to a blurry version of ‘normal’, it is time to take stock and reflect on the impact of these restrictions and how we might do things differently when the next pandemic hits.

In this lecture, Lord Sumption will explore the impacts of the pandemic response in the context of the rule of law.

The lecture will focus on the events of the past two years and unpack the impact on civil liberties and current threats to liberal democracy during these times of crisis, including judicial encroachment on the political sphere and cancel culture.

About the speaker

Jonathan Sumption is one of Britain’s most celebrated public intellectuals who has received acclaim for both his work as a practising law professional and reputable historian.

He began his career as a Fellow in history at Magdalen College in Oxford, in 1975 he was called to the English bar, taking silk in 1986. After serving as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2018, he delivered the BBC Reith Lectures in 2019 on the subject of law and the decline of politics.

As an accomplished historian, Jonathan Sumption has also served as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Institute of Historical Research at London University and the Society of Antiquaries to name a few.

He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2003 and the Wolfson History Prize in 2010. He is also well known as the author of a number of books on European history of the late middle ages.

The Lord Sumption Public Lecture

This lecture is jointly hosted by The University of Queensland School of Law and The Robert Menzies Institute in Melbourne.