Great Lives in the Law presents former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno
Great Lives in the Law presents former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno
On September 26, 2005, former U.S. Attorney
General Janet Reno will be interviewed by Douglas B. Maggs Professor of Law Walter Dellinger about her lengthy career in public service, as part of the Great Lives in the Law series. Ms. Reno was
appointed by President Bill Clinton on March 11, 1993, becoming the first woman ever to serve as attorney general. Serving for the remainder of the Clinton presidency, Ms. Reno became the longest
serving attorney general of the 20th century.
A native of Dade County, Florida, Ms. Reno is a 1963 graduate of Harvard Law School. After serving as staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives, Ms. Reno became the first woman appointed as state attorney for Dade County in 1978. She was elected to the post in November 1978, re-elected for another four terms, and is credited with reforming Florida’s juvenile justice system, among other accomplishments.
Professor Dellinger’s talk with Ms. Reno will take place in room 3041 at noon.
The Great Lives in the Law series invites lawyers and judges whose lives have been distinguished by substantial legal accomplishments to discuss some of the ways their careers have been intertwined with changes in the law or its institutions. Sponsored by the Duke Program in Public Law, these interviews and lectures provide an opportunity to reflect on the special perspective of individuals who have participated in or closely been involved in the developments in our legal institutions and laws. In keeping with the focus of the Duke Program in Public Law, emphasis in this series is on those whose careers have included significant public service. Since the Honorable William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States, delivered the inaugural lecture in April 2002, the Great Lives in the Law series has featured civil rights lawyer Julius Chambers, Associate Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Dennis Archer, president of the American Bar Association, The Honorable Richard Goldstone of South Africa, legal and race historian John Hope Franklin, and Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.