U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to Speak at UA School of Law March 6

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will deliver the seventh Albritton Lecture at The University of Alabama School of Law on Monday, March 6, at 2 p.m. in Room 287-288 of the Law School.

Breyer received his A.B. degree from Stanford University in 1959, his B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford University in 1961, and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1964 where he served as articles editor of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation from law school, Breyer served as clerk to Justice Arthur Goldberg of the U.S. Supreme Court during the 1964 term, as a special assistant to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Antitrust from 1965-1966, as an assistant special prosecutor of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force in 1973, as special counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 1974-1975, and as chief counsel of the committee in 1979-1980.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter nominated Breyer to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, where he served from 1980-1994, becoming chief judge in 1990. Breyer also served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 1985-1989. President Bill Clinton nominated him to the Supreme Court in 1994. Breyer has served as a professor at Harvard University and the Kennedy School of Government. He has been a visiting professor at the College of Law in Sydney, Australia, and the University of Rome.

Breyer recently published a book, “Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution” (Knopf), which stresses the active participation of average citizens in the democratic process.

The Albritton Fund, established as part of the UA Law School Foundation in 1973, underwrites the Albritton Lecture Series. The fund commemorates the contributions to the legal profession of several generations of the Albritton family of Andalusia. Including Breyer, the lecture series has brought seven U.S. Supreme Court justices to the UA Law School.

Media wishing to cover Breyer’s lecture are asked to notify Cathy Andreen, UA director of media relations, at 205/348-8322 or Jennifer McCracken, Law School communications manager, at 205/348-5195 in advance, and observe the following restrictions:

• Photography, video and audio taping will be allowed ONLY during the first eight minutes of the lecture and only if no additional lighting is required. No flash photography will be allowed.
• Arrive early – no on will be admitted after the lecture begins. Limited reserved seating for media will be available on a first come, first served basis for those who arrive before 1:45 p.m.
• No equipment bags will be allowed in the lecture hall.

For more information, contact UA Media Relations at 205/348-5320.