SEATTLE
- A standing-room crowd filled Kane Hall to capacity November 4, 2006 to see
retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor give the inaugural keynote
lecture as part of the Gates Public Service Law Scholarship Program. O’Connor
was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. She spoke about the
need for an independent judiciary and the importance of education in civics and
history in providing an understanding of the role of the judiciary. She also
took several questions from members of the audience, who gave her an
enthusiastic standing ovation when she concluded.
After a private lunch with the five Gates scholars, President Emmert, Dean
Knight, and Bill Gates Sr., she was off to meet with members of the federal
district court. She concluded her visit at a Gates PSL dinner in Seattle where
she spoke to more than 200 faculty, alumni, students, judges, and friends of the
law school about the need to encourage the best and brightest to pursue a career
in public service.
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