The constitutionality of capital punishment – and the risk of executing innocent individuals – will be among the topics covered in an upcoming talk presented by the Federalist Society on Widener Law’s Harrisburg campus.The society will welcome Michigan Supreme Court Justice Stephen Markman for a speech in defense of capital punishment on Monday, Nov. 23 in room A180 of the school administration building at 3800 Vartan Way, Harrisburg, Pa. The event will begin with an hors d’oeuvres reception in the lobby outside the lecture hall from 4 to 4:30 p.m. and Markman will speak from 4:30 to 6 p.m.Markman’s remarks are also expected to touch on the purposes of capital punishment, the deterrent impact and equal protection concerns. The death penalty is illegal in Michigan.The event is free and open to the public. Markman has been a member of the Michigan Supreme Court since 1999. He was last elected in 2004 and his current term will expire in 2013. He served as U.S. attorney for Michigan from 1989-1993 after being appointed by President George Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He was assistant attorney general at the U.S. Justice Department from 1985-1989 after being appointed by President Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In that position, he headed the department’s Office of Legal Policy, which focused on both policy and the federal judicial-selection process. His article on capital punishment, “Protecting the Innocent,” was published in the Stanford Law Review. He has taught constitutional law at Hillsdale College since 1993.Attorneys from Pennsylvania and Delaware who attend the talk will be eligible for 1.5 continuing legal education credits. To register, or for more information, contact Sandra Graeff at 717.541.3965 or slgraeff@widener.edu.