A new annual event has been created by the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana to focus on past and present legal issues, part of the group's shift from project-focused events to membership focused efforts.

The "Court History Symposium: Court History and History in the Making," features three one-hour segments beginning at 2 p.m. Nov. 7 at the federal courthouse in Indianapolis.

Gary Larreategui with the President Benjamin Harrison Foundation will present the first part of the program, speaking about President Harrison and the U.S. Supreme Court. The next hour will feature a presentation by Indiana University - Southeast professors Linda Gugin and James St. Clair on Associate Justice Sherman Minton - the two wrote a biography on him about a decade ago. They will focus on the man who came from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in the 1940s and is now considered the last true judicial restraint justice.

The final hour is a judicial roundtable, where District and magistrate judges will discuss topics of interest and concern in the legal field today.

This symposium is considered the historical society's first big membership event where the group hopes to add to its current roster of about 35 members, according to group secretary Doria Lynch, who is the federal court's historian.

The event will be in the William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom, Room 202, Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Court House, 46 E. Ohio St., Indianapolis. An informal reception with light hors d'oeuvres and drinks will follow the event.

Registration is required to attend and space is limited. Three hours of CLE credits are pending approval.

Members of the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana receive complementary registration, but must RSVP by Oct. 31 to Inga Spells at ispells@kdlegal.com. Non-members of the Historical Society may register in advance for $40 or at the door for $45. To pre-register for the CLE, mail a check made out to HSDCSD, Inc. to The Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, c/o C. Daniel Motsinger, Krieg DeVault, One Indiana Square, Suite 2800, Indianapolis, IN 46204.