Fairchild Lectures

The Thomas E. Fairchild Lectureship was established in 1988 at University of Wisconsin Law School as a tribute to Judge Fairchild. Initiated by his former law clerks, the lectureship brings a distinguished member of the legal profession — from the bench, bar or academia — to speak at UW Law School on a topic of importance to the profession. Many distinguished guests have served as Fairchild lecturers, including Supreme Court Justices John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day O'Connor.

For more information on upcoming Fairchild lectures, please click here.

For a list of past lectures, please see below.  Video and law review article linked when available. 

• 2023- A Conversation with the U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar by Solicitor General Prelogar
• 2022- The Future of the U.S. Supreme Court by Judge Nancy Gertner
• 2021- The McCarthy Era and its Echoes: A Story of Family, Journalism, and the Search for Truth by David Maraniss
• 2019- The Warren Court: A Fifty Year Retrospective by Professor Geoffrey R. Stone
• 2018- Civic Education and the Federal Courts  by Judge Robert Katzmann (Law review article)
• 2017- The Erosion of Civil Rights and What to Do About It  by Judge Lynn Adelman (Law review article)
• 2016- Our Justice System at an Inflection Point by William C. Hubbard (Law review article)
• 2015- All in the Family: A Judicial Legacy, Edward and Thomas Fairchild by R. Nils Olsen (Law review article) 
• 2014- Protecting the 4th Amendment So We Do Not Sacrifice Freedom for Security by Collins T. Fitzpatrick (Law review article)
• 2013- The War on Drugs by William J. Bauer (Law review article)
• 2012- Inequality, Individualized Risk, and Insecurity by Michael J. Zimmer (Law review article)
• 2011- Federal Sentencing Policy by William K. Sessions III (Law review article)
• 2010- Abraham Lincoln: A Lawyer for the Ages by John S. Skilton (Law review article)
• 2008- Thoughts on How the Legal System Treats Jurors by Patrick J. Fitzgerald (Law review article)
• 2007- Snapshots from the Seventh Circuit: Continuity and Change, 1966 to 2008 by Diane P. Wood (Law review article)
• 2006- Thomas E. Fairchild: A Judge's Legacy by Joan H. Lefkow (Law review article)
• 2005- Upholding an Oath to the Constitution: A Legislator's Responsibilities by Russ Feingold (Law review article)
• 2004- Citizenship in a Time of Repression by Michael Traynor (Law review article)
• 2003- The Role of District Courts by Reena Raggi (Law review article)
• 2002- Revitalization of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in the Mid-20th Century by Kenneth Davis, Patrick Lucey, Gaylord Nelson, Ellen Proxmire, and Alexander Shashko
• 2001- The Role of Social Science in Shaping the Law by Elizabeth Warren (Law review article)
• 2000- Will the Death Penalty Remain Alive in the Twenty-First Century? by Stephen B. Bright (Law review article) 
• 1999- "Old and In the Way": The Coming Demographic Transformation of the Legal Profession and its Implications for the Provision of Legal Services by Marc Galanter (Law review article) 
• 1998- The Future of the Independent Counsel Law by Lawrence E. Walsh (Law review article)
• 1997- Moment of Truth for the Legal Profession by Sol M. Linowitz (Law review article)
• 1996- The Shelf Life of Justice Hugo L. Black by John P. Frank (Law review article)
• 1995- Life of the Law: Principles of Logic and Experience from the United States by Sandra Day O'Connor (Law review article)
• 1994- Refreshing Institutional Memories: Wisconsin and the American Law Institute by Shirley S. Abrahamson (Law review article)
• 1993- Appellate Justice Today: Fairness or Formulas by Mary M. Schroeder (Law review article)
• 1991- The Judicial Function and the Elusive Goal of Principled Decisionmaking by Harry T. Edwards (Law review article)
• 1990- The Courts of Appeal and the Future of the Federal Judiciary by Kenneth W. Starr (Law review article)
• 1989- The Development of Legal Doctrine through Amicus Participation: The SEC Experience by David S. Ruder (Law review article)
• 1988- A Judge's Use of History- Thomas E. Fairchild Inaugural Lecture by John Paul Stevens (Law review article)