UA Law to Host Symposium Honoring Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law at The University of Alabama is planning a symposium to honor the life and legacy of Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr.

The Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. Centennial Symposium & Law Clerks Reunion is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 25 in the Bedsole Moot Court Room. The event, which is open to the public, will begin at 8:30 a.m. and is sponsored by the Alabama Law Review. It will mark the occasion of the centennial of Johnson’s birth and celebrate his courage.

“From his Montgomery, Alabama courtroom, Judge Johnson issued dozens of landmark rulings that desegregated virtually all state institutions in Alabama and secured voting rights for all of Alabama’s citizens,” said Ronald Krotoszynski Jr., the John S. Stone Chairholder of Law and director of faculty research at Culverhouse Law.

“Despite being openly vilified by elected state officials, Judge Johnson never wavered in his steadfast commitment to enforcing the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment,” Krotoszynski said.

Legal scholars and experts will discuss voting rights, equality, civil rights and the role of federal courts in securing institutional reform. The Hon. Guido Calabresi, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, will provide the keynote address.

Confirmed presenters are:

• Kathy Abrams, the Herma Hill Kay Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law
• Ashutosh Bhagwat, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law, University of California, Davis School of Law
• William J. Baxley, trial counsel, Baxley, Dillard, McKnight, James & McElroy
• Jenny Carroll, Wiggins, Childs, Quinn & Pantazis Professor of Law, Culverhouse Law at The University of Alabama
• Caroline Mala Corbin, professor of law, University of Miami School of Law
• The Hon. Joel Dubina, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
• Michael Kang, the William G. and Virginia K. Karnes Research Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
• Ronald Krotoszynski Jr., the John S. Stone Chairholder of Law and director of faculty research, Culverhouse Law at The University of Alabama
• James Pfander, the Owen L. Coon Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
• Judith Resnik, the Arthur Liman Professor of Law, Yale Law School
• Fred Smith Jr., associate professor of law, Emory University School of Law
• The Hon. Myron Thompson, U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama
• The Hon. Gerald Bard Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit

Johnson is a 1943 graduate of the Law School and a native of Winston County. He served on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama from 1955 to 1979 and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit from 1979 to 1999.

For more information or to register for the event, please visit law.ua.edu/judgejohnson.

About the UA School of Law

One of America’s leading public law schools and consistently ranked as one of the best values in legal education, The Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law offers a challenging curriculum with over 150 electives, several dual enrollment opportunities, Master of Laws degrees, and a J.S.D. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6.3:1, the Law School offers students a rigorous, hands-on learning experience, with strong student engagement in clinical programs, legal journals, moot court teams, and trial advocacy.