Adam Foss
A brief rundown of Adam Foss’s early years shows a trajectory that aligns with his choices as an adult: Born in Columbia and adopted by an Irish-American family from Massachusetts; experienced childhood as one of color in a small town; arrested at age 19 for marijuana possession but got off …
Crystal Feimster
The historian Crystal Feimster will deliver the annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture.
Dan Tokaji
Associate Dean for Faculty and Charles W. Ebersold and Florence Whitcomb Ebersold Professor of Constitutional Law, Ohio State University
Dan Tokaji on 'New Developments in Election Law: Gerrymandering, Voter Suppression, Money and the Uncertain Future of Democracy'
David Axelrod
In a career spanning four decades, campaign strategist David Axelrod has influenced the outcomes of more than 150 Democratic campaigns, many of which were considered landmark victories. But in 2008 he orchestrated his most historic campaign, helping elect the first African-American as the 44th president of the United States. His address, part of the SU Speaker Series sponsored by the Washington University Political Review, is titled "America’s Future: Insights from a Presidential Adviser."
David French
In his National Review column, the veteran journalist, author and constitutional law expert David French has expressed a growing concern that political correctness is hampering free speech on college campuses, which he believes is not only a threat to democracy and the First Amendment, but is doing college students no favors by treating them as fragile “snowflakes.”
Eddie Glaude
James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies,Princeton University & frequent MSNBC contributor
Eddie Glaude, theJames S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and frequent MSNBC contributor, offered reflections on difficult truths about race and the moral crisis at the heart of American democracy. Professor Glaude’s presentation …
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt served as First Lady from 1933 - 1945. She was also a politician, diplomat and activist.
Eric Schultz
As a sophomore at WashU, he served as Speaker of the Congress of the South 40. For the Assembly Series, he will share how his experiences as a student helped prepare him for a career in politics, then invite the audience to engage in a dialogue.
Honorable John Paul Stevens
Stevens objected to the court's ruling in the 2000 election-deciding case of Bush v. Gore. The court overturned the Florida Supreme Court's decision to order a recount of all of the state's ballots. Joined by David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, Stevens wrote that, "Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s Presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law. I respectfully dissent."
Jack Devine
Jack Devine's talk,"The Importance and Ethics of National Intelligence," held on September 16, 2014, served as the annual Elliot Stein Lecture. During his 30-year tenure as the CIA's acting director of operations, Devine served as America's top spymaster for eight presidents.
Jason De Leon
professor of anthropology, UCLA
The 2019 Holocaust Memorial Lecture featured a presentation by Jason De León, professor of anthropology at UCLA, entitled ‘Understanding the Current Politics of Migrant Life andDeath along the U.S.-Mexico Border.'
Jean Peters Baker
Throughout her long tenure in the Jackson County prosecutor’s office, Baker has served in nearly every unit. In 2012 she was elected as its leader.
Baker is known as a fearless and compassionate advocate for the victims of crime, especially the young and most vulnerable, and for partnering …
Karine Jean-Pierre
NBC News and MSNBC political analyst
The Nov. 10, 2019 finale of the Blacks in America: 400 Years Plus trilogy, featured Karine Jean-Pierre, NBC and MSNBC Political Analyst.
Kim Gardner
Gardner was elected St. Louis Circuit Attorney in 2017, after serving as a Missouri House Representative from the 77th District. She received national attention last year for her role in
pursuing the investigation into alleged unlawful activities by Missouri governor Eric Greitens, leading …
Lee Epstein, Adam Liptak and Greg Magarian
Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished Professor; Adam Liptak, Journalist, New York Times; and Greg Magarian, Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law
‘Constitution Day: 2018-19 Supreme Court Review’ featured Lee Epstein, the Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished Professor; Adam Liptak, a journalist at The New York Times; and Greg Magarian, the Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law.
Michael Pollan
NOTE: Due to the anticipated large turnout, seating for the public will be limited. Doors open at 4:30 PM – seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. A book signing will follow his talk.
Through his several books on the growth, preparation and consumption of food, Michael Pollan has …
Michelle Oberman
Katharine and George Alexander Professor of Law, Santa Clara University
Oberman’s lecture, entitled ‘Her Body, Our Laws: On the Front Lines of the Abortion War, from El Salvador to Oklahoma,’ is based on her 2018 book that draws on years of research in El Salvador.
Norman Ornstein
Norman Ornstein is an American Enterprise Institute scholar and keen observer of the American political system.
Pepper Schwartz
Professor of Sociology, University of Washington
Pepper Schwartz on 'The Me Too Era: How We Got Here, and What's Next'
Walter Mondale
When he came to campus in 1984, the Democratic presidential candidate Walter "Fritz" Mondale was greeted by cheering students, and especially by WashU's female students: Mondale chose the first woman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate, and supported the Equal Rights Amendment.
Wesley Bell
Ferguson Councilman Wesley Bell’s recent upset of Robert McCulloch’s 28-year-run as St. Louis County Prosecutor was a stunning victory for the underdog running on a platform to reform its criminal justice system. This January, Bell became the first African American prosecutor in St. Louis …
Mitt Romney
Prominent Republican politician and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney will bring his extensive knowledge to bear on stage in Graham Chapel on February 27. The event will include Romney in conversation with law school faculty The event is free and open to the public, although priority seating will be given to the campus community.
Arsalan Iftikhar
Whenever some violent lunatic snaps and claims some kind of warped justification for his murderous acts as a so-called Muslim warrior, it’s not his damaged childhood or the flood of assault weapons in America or the climate of unrelenting violence in our country that gets blamed – it’s Islam, an ancient, Abrahamic religion.” -- Arsalan Iftikhar
Carla Power
On April 14, 2015 at 5 p.m. in Umrath Hall Lounge, veteran journalist Carla Power talked about "Reading the Quran at Starbucks: An American Secular Feminist and a Traditional Muslim Scholar Find Commonalities."
Ta-Nehisi Coates
On February 18, 2015 at 7 p.m. in Graham Chapel, Ta-Nehisi Coates, senior editor for The Atlantic and well-known author, spoke on the subject of racism in the United States as part of the Washington University Political Review Lecture.
Reza Aslan
On February 17, 2015 at 6 p.m. in Graham Chapel, Reza Aslan, delivered the Washington University Foreign Policy Engagement Lecture on faith, extremism and democracy.
Marriage Equality Panel
On February 3, 2015 at 6 p.m. in the Graham Chapel, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Residential Learning, Jill Stratton moderated a discussion on "Marriage Equality and the GOP" by a panel featuring Meghan McCain, Gregory T. Angelo and Fred Karger.
Xavier de Souza Briggs
On January 22, 2015 at 12 p.m. in the Brown Hall Lounge, Xavier de Souza Briggs, vice president of the Ford Foundation's Economic Opportunity and Assets program talked about "Toward a Just and Inclusive America."
Carl Hart
On October 10, 2014 Carl Hart, neuropsychopharamacologist at Columbia University, delivered the annual Chancellor's Fellows Lecture on "Demystifying the Science of Drug Addiction: Neuroscience, Self-discovery, Race and U.S. Drug Policy."
Sherrilyn Ifill
On September 17, 2014 Sherrilyn Ifill talked about the legacy of the Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown v the Board of Education and discussed how this relates to the still-present socioeconomic issues underpinning African-Americans' anger and frustration that have surfaced in Ferguson, MO.
Kenji Yoshino
On September 8, 2014 Kenji Yoshino, Professor of Law at NYU talked about his new book - Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights. In his book Yoshino provides readers plenty to consider about the act of "covering," why it's done and how it harms people's individuality.
Catharine MacKinnon
On November 14, 2013 at 12 p.m. in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom, Catharine MacKinnon, a principal architect of landmark sex equality laws in the United States, talked about "Trafficking, Prostitution, and Inequality."
Jonathan Gruber
On October 4, 2013 at 6 p.m. in Brown Hall, Jonathan Gruber, Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist and renowned health care expert, talked about "Health-care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works."
James Boyle
On February 29, 2012 James Boyle, the William Neal Reynolds Professor of Law and co-founder of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School talked about "Cultural Agoraphobia: Why Most of What You Know About the Internet is Wrong."