U.S. Senior Judge to give keynote address at Law Day

Mercer University’s Walter F. School of Law will host its 2014 Law Day luncheon with judge Guido Calabresi, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, scheduled to deliver the keynote address. The event will be held Friday, March 28, at 12:30 p.m., in Hawkins Arena inside the University Center on the Macon campus. Calabresi’s presentation is titled, “Faith in Law and Faith in People.”

Calabresi was appointed United States Circuit Judge in July, 1994, and entered into duty on Sept. 16, 1994. Prior to his appointment, he was dean and Sterling Professor at Yale Law School, where he began teaching in 1959 and is now Sterling Professor Emeritus and Professorial Lecturer in Law. Judge Calabresi received his B.S., summa cum laude, from Yale College in 1953, a B.A. with First Class Honors from Magdalen College, Oxford University, in 1955, an LL.B. degree, magna cum laude, in 1958 from Yale Law School, and an M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University in 1959.

A Rhodes Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa and Order of the Coif, Judge Calabresi served as the note editor of The Yale Law Journal, 1957-58, while graduating first in his law school class. Following graduation, Judge Calabresi clerked for Justice Hugo Black of the United States Supreme Court. He has been awarded some 40 honorary degrees from universities in the United States and abroad, and is the author of four books and more than 100 articles on law and related subjects.

The Law Day theme is “American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters.” Established in 1958 by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Law Day is designed to strengthen the public’s understanding of the American justice system. Though the national observance of Law Day is generally May 1, many law schools, including Mercer Law School, publicly recognize it earlier in the spring semester due to the heavy academic demands in May.

During the event, Mercer Law School will recognize two alumni for their outstanding contributions to the legal profession: Thomas P. Bishop, CLA ‘82, LAW ‘85, Outstanding Alumnus Award; and Deryl Dantzler, CLA ‘64, LAW ‘81, Alumni Meritorious Service Award.

Following the luncheon, three events will take place at the Law School. The Hugh Lawson, III Moot Court Competition, an annual intra-school 1L competition, will be held in the Moot Courtroom at 3 p.m.

The luncheon is $25 for alumni that register before March 18 and $35 at the door. Registration is available online or by contacting Leslie Cadle at cadle_l@law.mercer.edu or (478) 301-2180.