A Conversation with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy & Provost Jenny S. Martinez

Throughout his thirty-year tenure on the US Supreme Court, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy authored landmark opinions on some of the most contested issues in American society, including abortion, same-sex marriage, and free speech. Often defying expectations, Kennedy’s pursuit of equal justice helped him define the law of the land for a generation. Life, Law & Liberty is a reflection on Kennedy's nuanced role as a judge and his life story—filled with personal heartbreak and incredible accomplishment—as a precocious boy from Sacramento who went on to become the man Chief Justice John Roberts describes as “a special combination of legal acumen, collegiality, and kindness.”

The Stanford community is honored to welcome Justice Kennedy back to his alma mater on this special occasion with Provost Martinez, who will bring her legal expertise to this riveting discussion about how civility, decency, and ethics are essential to public life.

Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Anthony M. Kennedy joined the U.S. Supreme Court in 1988 and served as an associate justice for thirty years. Born in Sacramento, California, he received his BA from Stanford University in 1958 (after a year at the London School of Economics) and his LLB from Harvard Law School in 1961. Starting in private practice in San Francisco and Sacramento, he was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He has served in numerous positions during his career, including as a member of the California Army National Guard; on the board of the Federal Judicial Center; and on two committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States: the Advisory Panel on Financial Disclosure Reports and Judicial Activities (subsequently renamed the Advisory Committee on Codes of Conduct), and the Committee on Pacific Territories. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1975. He wrote nearly one thousand opinions over more than forty years on the federal bench. Justice Kennedy lives in Virginia with his wife, Mary, and is a devoted father and grandfather.

Jenny S. Martinez is Provost of Stanford University, formerly the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School and the Law School’s 14th dean. Professor Martinez is a leading expert on international law and constitutional law, including comparative constitutional law. She is the author of The Slave Trade and the Origins of International Human Rights Law (Oxford University Press, 2012) and numerous articles in leading academic journals. She teaches courses on constitutional law, civil procedure, international law, and international business transactions. An experienced litigator, she has worked on numerous cases involving international law and constitutional law issues. Before joining the Stanford faculty in 2003, Professor Martinez clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer (BA ’59) of the U.S. Supreme Court.

This event is hosted by the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society, COLLEGE, ePluribus, Stanford School of Humanities & Sciences, and Stanford Civics Initiative.

If you require disability-related accommodation, please contact as soon as possible or at least 7 business days in advance of the event.

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• Capacity is limited and seating is available to registrants on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Seating will be reserved for registered attendees until 4:50 pm. Seating will be released to any walk-in guests after 4:50 pm.
• Cameras/flash photography and recording (audio/video) is not permitted.
• Please turn off all cell phones and alarms.
• All items may be subject to search.
• No signs, flyer distribution, banners, flags, or posters are allowed inside the venue.
• Entry and re-entry will be at the discretion of Event Management.
• Entering the venue shall be deemed consenting to all of the above conditions and any others set by Stanford University.

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