Award-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to speak at Erie Law Day event

This year's theme for the Erie County Bar Association's annual Law Day luncheon is "Voices of Democracy." The association and the Jefferson Educational Society are bringing a famous voice of history to Erie to discuss the topic.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author Doris Kearns Goodwin will speak at the Law Day event on May 9, the Bar Association said.

The event starts at 11 a.m. at the Warner Theatre in downtown Erie. It includes lunch in the Warner's grand lobby and a discussion with Goodwin. Moderating the discussion will be Erie native Steve Scully, a former C-SPAN host who now hosts a show on SiriusXM radio.

Who is Doris Kearns Goodwin?

Goodwin, 81, is best known for her presidential histories, including "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," the basis for the Steven Spielberg film "Lincoln."

Among her other presidential histories are "The Bully Pulpit," about Theodore Roosevelt; "No Ordinary Time," about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, which won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 1995; and "Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream," about Lyndon Johnson, for whom she worked as an aide in the White House early in her career.

Goodwin's eighth and latest book is "An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s," to be published on April 16. It is about her relationship with her husband of 42 years, Dick Goodwin. He died in 2018 after a long career in politics, including advising Presidents John F. Kennedy and Johnson, two giants of the 1960s.

"He was an extraordinary character who somehow traversed almost every important moment in the 1960s," Goodwin said of her husband in an interview with CBS News on March 24. "He's like Zelig, in a certain sense, in the '60s."

How much is the registration fee for Law Day?

The luncheon is open to the public. The cost is $75 per attendee. It includes lunch and a copy of "An Unfinished Love Story." The registration deadline is May 1.

What is Law Day?

Congress in 1961 designated May 1 as the date marking Law Day as "a national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law," according to the American Bar Association.

The Erie County Bar Association, composed of judges and lawyers, holds its annual luncheon on or near that date. The association presents awards at the event. They include include Chancellor of the Bar, for a lawyer, and the Liberty Bell Award, for a non-lawyer.

The Bar Association partnered with the nonprofit Jefferson Educational Society in Erie for this year's event.

This year's theme of "Voices of Democracy" "recognizes that in democracies, the people rule," the Bar Association said in a statement. "Americans have expressed their political views and wishes by speaking their minds and voting in elections.

"In 2024, the United States will hold its 60th presidential elections, and Americans will address fundamental questions about democracy and the rule of law."

Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to headline Erie Law Day event in May