MEDIA ADVISORY: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to Present Abraham Lecture at U.Va. Law School on April 16

April 14, 2010 — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will lecture on "Methodology of Originalism" at the University of Virginia School of Law on Friday at 5 p.m. in Caplin Auditorium. Scalia will present the 12th Annual Henry J. Abraham Distinguished Lecture, which is sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Freedom of Expression.

As a leading proponent of interpreting laws and the Constitution based on their textual meaning, Scalia has played a critical role in the court's direction over the past two decades.

Nominated to the Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1986, Scalia is the second-most senior justice on the court. He previously served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel, chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States, and general counsel of the Office of Telecommunications Policy. Scalia served as a U.Va. law professor from 1967 to 1971.

The annual Abraham Lecture, begun in 1999, honors Henry J. Abraham, a constitutional scholar and former U.Va. professor of government and foreign affairs.

The Thomas Jefferson Center is no longer taking reservations for the event, but overflow seating will be available in the Law School's Withers-Brown Hall, room 102. Parking restrictions for the D-2, D-3 and visitor lots will be lifted at 4:30 p.m., at doors open for the event at 4:30 p.m.

After the talk, Scalia will sign copies of his book, "Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges," for audience members. The book will be on sale starting at 4 p.m. outside the auditorium.

Recording devices are not allowed during the lecture except for note-taking purposes. Videotaping and flash photography will not be permitted.

Media representatives who wish to attend should contact Mary Wood, 434-924-3786 or mwood@virginia.edu for information on press credentials.

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