Supreme Court and Constitutional Litigation Expert to Give Bell Lecture

Written by John Finn 330-263-2145 Email Story | Print Story

March 24, 2005

Peter Irons

WOOSTER, Ohio - Peter Irons, a widely respected authority on the Supreme Court and constitutional litigation, will present "The Faces Behind the Cases" at the Eighth Annual Bell Distinguished Lectureship in Law on Thursday, April 7, at The College of Wooster. The free public lecture will begin at 8 p.m. in Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall (303 E. University St.). A dessert reception will precede the lecture at 7:30 p.m.

Irons, a professor of political science at the University of California at San Diego and director of the Earl Warren Bill of Rights Project, earned his undergraduate degree from Antioch College and his master's degree and Ph.D. in political science from Boston University. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1978, where he served as senior editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.

Prior to taking his position at San Diego, Irons taught at both Boston College Law School and the University of Massachusetts. He has been a visiting professor at several law schools and served as the first Raoul Wallenberg Distinguished Visiting Professor of Human Rights at Rutgers University.

The author of 12 books, including Jim Crow's Children: The Broken Promise of the Brown Decision, The New Deal Lawyers, and Justice at War, Irons has won an unprecedented five "Silver Gavel" awards from the American Bar Association for contributions to "public understanding of the American legal system." He has also received Outstanding Teaching Awards from three of the UCSD colleges. In addition to his work in the field of education, Irons is an active civil rights and liberties lawyer, and was lead council in the successful effort to reverse the World War II criminal convictions of Japanese-Americans who challenged the curfew and relocation orders. He also belongs to several state and federal bars, including the United States Supreme Court, and was elected to two terms on the national board of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Bell Distinguished Lectureship in Law was endowed in 1999 by Jennie M. Bell and Samuel H. Bell, a 1947 College of Wooster graduate and a Federal Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The purpose is to engage students, faculty, members of the legal profession, and members of the community in a legal issue that has broad implications for society. The Bells hope, by way of this lectureship, to bring the best minds of the legal profession to Wooster students and the local community. This lectureship also joins their long-held affection for the law and faith in the values derived from a liberal arts education.

The Bell Distinguished Lectureship is sponsored by The College of Wooster's Pre-Law Program and the Cultural Events Committee. For additional information, call 330-263-2380.