Keynote Speaker

Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Associate Justice, was born in Trenton, New Jersey, April 1, 1950. He married Martha-Ann Bomgardner in 1985, and has two children-Philip and Laura. He served as a law clerk for Leonard I. Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1976-1977. He was Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, 1977-1981, Assistant to the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1981-1985, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1985-1987, and U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, 1987-1990. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1990. President George W. Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat on January 31, 2006.

Justice Alito's keynote address will begin at 11:30 on Saturday, January 31, in Caplin Auditorium. Doors open at 10:00 for seating.

Special Guest Speaker
Alan Morrison
Visiting Professor, Washington College of Law at American University
Co-founder & Former Director, Public Citizen Litigation Group

Alan Morrison founded the Public Citizen Litigation Group in 1972 with Ralph Nader, and served as its director for nearly 25 years. The Litigation Group docket extended to areas such as open government, separation of powers, consumer protection, representing absentees in class actions, and freedom of expression on the Internet. He has personally argued before the Supreme Court 20 times. While he was with the Litigation Group, it created a project that helps other lawyers who have public interest cases in the Supreme Court.

Special Opening Panel
The Innocence Project: A Growing Wave of Exonerations

In the United States, more than 200 wrongfully convicted people have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 17 who served time on death row. Join this exciting group of panelists to discuss why and how.

Panelists include: Craig Watkins, pioneering district attorney and creator of Dallas County's Conviction Integrity Unit, which oversees DNA reviews that have led to a string of exonerations; John Grisham; best-selling author and Innocence Project board member; Marvin Anderson, exonerated in 2001 after spending 15 years in prison for a crime he did not commit; Paul Enzinna, vice president and founding board member of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project; and George H. Kendall, who has spent the last 25 years on capital cases for the ACLU, NAACP, and pro bono for Holland & Knight. Moderated by Prof. Deirdre Enright, director of the law school's Innocence Project Clinic.

About the Conference

Founded by law students at the University of Virginia ten years ago, the Conference on Public Service and the Law brings together students, faculty, attorneys, and policymakers to explore public interest issues facing today's legal community and related career paths for young attorneys.

Past conferences have drawn hundreds of llaw students and close to 100 panelists from across the country. Keynote speakers have included Virginia Governor Tim Kaine; Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy '59; ACLU President Nadine Strossen; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer; and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano '83.

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Contact the 2009 Conference Co-chairs, Jessica DeVera (jadevera@virginia.edu) and Nicole Stockey (nstockey@virginia.edu).