The Owen J. Roberts Memorial Lecture in Constitutional Law
A memorial to the esteemed jurist and former University of Pennsylvania Law School dean, the Owen J. Roberts Lecture in Constitutional Law established an annual lectureship to be delivered by “a nationally prominent person, in either public or academic life, who might be expected to make a significant contribution in legal thought.”
At its formation in 1956, the lecture series was jointly sponsored by the Law School and its Chapter of the Order of the Coif. The sponsorship group later expanded to include the Law School’s Alumni Society. Since 1974, the law firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP, which Roberts founded, has funded an endowment to assure the long-term continuation of the lecture series.
The Roberts Lecture is considered the foremost endowed lectureship at Penn Law. Over the years the Roberts Lectureship has brought to the Law School such distinguished jurists and scholars as Felix Frankfurter, Antonin Scalia, William Hastie, Louis Pollak, Herbert Wechsler, Archibald Cox, Paul Freund, Ronald Dworkin, John Rawls, Guido Calabresi, and Kathleen Sullivan.
2017-2018 Lecture
“A Celebration of 25 Years on the Supreme Court of the United States”
A Conversation Between Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and National Constitution Center President & CEO Jeffrey Rosen
Past Roberts Lectures
| 2016 | None |
| 2015 |
“To Adjust These Clashing Interests”: Negotiation and Compromise as Core Constitutional Values Larry Kramer, President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Former Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School |
| 2014 |
The Puzzling Place of Coercion in Constitutional Analysis: From the Lindbergh Kidnapping to Obamacare to Fighting HIV/AIDS Without Protesting Prostitution Laurence H. Tribe, Carl M. Loeb Professor of Harvard University Video |
| 2013 |
Language, Law and Human Rights Amartya Sen, Thomas W. Lamont University Professor & Professor of Economics and Philosophy, Harvard University Video |
| 2012 |
Standing in Law and Standing in Politics: The Rules That Determine Who Gets Heard Professor Michael Ignatieff, Massey College at the University of Toronto Video |
| 2011 |
The Decline and Fall of the American Republic Bruce Ackerman, Yale Law School, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science Video |
| 2010 |
Judge Henry Friendly and the Craft of Deciding Cases The Honorable Michael Boudin Lecture Program Video |
| 2008 |
The National Security Constitution in an Age of Globalization Dean Harold Hongju Koh Lecture Program Video |
| 2007 |
The Battle Against Terror: The Judicial Role Justice Aharon Barak Lecture Program |
| 2006 |
Tells of South Africa’s Journey from Apartheid to Democracy Justice Richard J. Goldstone Lecture Program |
| 2005 |
Constitutional Scholar Cautions Against Bending the Constitution to Fight Terrorism Professor Kathleen M. Sullivan Lecture Program |
| 2004 |
Reflections on Judging: At Home and Abroad The Honorable Patricia M. Wald |
| 2003 |
Defend the Constitution from Revisionists Justice Antonin Scalia |
| 2002 |
The Current Subtle—and Not So Subtle—Rejection of an Independent Judiciary The Honorable Guido Calabresi |
| 2000 |
On Being a Religious Professional: The Religious Turn in Professional Ethics Professor Martha L. Minow |
| 1999 |
Diversity Professor Sanford V. Levinson |
| 1998 |
Impeaching the President Professor Cass Sunstein |
| 1997 |
Must Judges Really Be Philosophers? Professor Ronald Dworkin |
|
1996 (Fall) |
Philadelphia Lawyer: A Cautionary Tale The Honorable Louis H. Pollak |
|
1996 (Spring) |
Professor Stephen L. Carter |
| 1994 |
The Civility Required in Public Discourse and the Ideals of Reason in Political Life Professor John Rawls |
| 1993 |
Human Rights, Rationality and Sentimentality Professor Richard Rorty |
| 1992 |
Convention for a Democratic South Africa The Honorable Ismail Mohomed |
| 1991 |
Intentionalism, History, and Legitimacy The Honorable John J. Gibbons |
| 1989 |
Local Rules as Experiments: A Study in the Division of Power Professor A. Leo Levin |
| 1988 |
Can Lawyers Be Trusted? Professor Sissela Bok |
| 1987 |
The Religion Clauses — The Past and the Future The Honorable Arlin M. Adams |
| 1986 |
Justice, Expediency, and Beauty Professor Louis B. Schwartz |
| 1985 |
Rising Above Principle Professor Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr. |
| 1984 |
Party Government under the American Constitution Lloyd N. Cutler, Esquire |
| 1983 |
Striking the Balance: Congress and the President Under the War Powers Resolution The Honorable Cyrus R. Vance |
| 1982 |
The Uses of Ambivalence: Reflections on the Supreme Court and the Constitutionality of Affirmative Action Professor Paul J. Mishkin |
| 1981 |
A French Lawyer Looks at American Corporation Law and Securities Regulation Professor Andre Tunc |
| 1980 |
Bureaucratic Justice: An Early Warning The Honorable Wade H. McCree, Jr. |
| 1979 |
The Pathology of a Legal System: Criminal Justice in South Africa Sydney Kentridge, S.C. |
| 1978 |
Invisible Searches for Intangible Things: Regulation of Governmental Information Gathering The Honorable Shirley M. Hufstedler |
| 1977 |
The Jurisprudence of Foreign Electronic Surveillance Professor Edward Levi |
| 1976 |
Fundamental Rights in the United Kingdom: the Law and the British Constitution Anthony Lester, Q.C. |
| 1975 |
Some Kind of Hearing The Honorable Henry J. Friendly |
| 1974 |
Executive Privilege Professor Archibald Cox |
| 1973 |
Judicial Role and Judicial Image The Honorable William H. Hastie |
| 1972 |
Lawyers and Civilization Mr. Anthony Lewis |
| 1971 |
The Due Process Revolution and Confrontation The Honorable Erwin N. Griswold |
| 1970 |
Unmet Challenges of Inequality in the World Community Professor Covey T. Oliver |
| 1969 |
Can We Afford Liberty? The Honorable Arthur J. Goldberg |
| 1967 |
Fundamental Rights and the Prospect for Democracy in Nigeria Chief F.R.A. Williams |
| 1966 |
Multilateral Diplomacy in the Nuclear Age The Honorable Abba Eban |
| 1965 |
The Unguarded Affairs of the Semikempt Mistress The Honorable Roger Traynor |
| 1964 |
New Vistas in Constitutional Law Professor Paul Freund |
| 1963 |
The Rule of Law in the World Community Dean Andrew Cordier |
| 1962 |
Law, Democracy, and Morality Lord Patrick A. Devlin |
| 1961 |
Sentencing, Correction, and the Model Penal Code Professor Herbert Wechsler |
| 1959 |
Problems Facing the West The Honorable Paul Henri Spaak |
| 1958 |
The Rule of Law and Absolute Sovereignty Professor Arthur L. Goodhart |
| 1957 |
The Supreme Court in the Mirror of Justices The Honorable Felix Frankfurter |
Owen Josephus Roberts was an extraordinary jurist whose devotion to law and to the Constitution marked every stage of his career. After earning his AB in 1895 and LLB in 1898 from the University of Pennsylvania, Roberts served for 20 years on the Penn Law faculty. He developed a highly successful private practice during this time, but chose to spend most of his career in service to the public sector: as assistant district attorney of Philadelphia County, special U.S. prosecutor in the Teapot Dome cases, chairman of the commission appointed by President Roosevelt to investigate the Pearl Harbor attack, chairman of the Clemency Board following World War II, and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1930 to 1945. From 1948 through 1951, Roberts served as dean of Penn Law, where he taught a seminar in constitutional law.
The justices of the United States Supreme Court, circa 1937:
L to R standing: Owen J. Roberts, Pierce Butler, Harlan Fiske Stone, Benjamin Cardozo. L to R sitting: Louis D. Brandeis, Willis VanDevanter, Charles Evans Hughes, James McReynolds, George Sutherland.
Justice Aharon Barak delivers the 2007 Roberts Lecture on “The Battle Against Terror: The Judicial Role.”