"The Price of Justice" An American Experience Distinguished lecture was presented by Laurence Leamer.
Bestselling author Laurence Leamer shared the riveting story of two Pittsburgh lawyers and their fifteen-year struggle against Don Blankenship, the most powerful coal baron in American history, and Massey Energy, the biggest coal company in Appalachia. Published just last year, it is a story of the egregious impact of massive amounts of money on an election to the Supreme Court of West Virginia, and how that led to an historic opinion in the United States Supreme Court in Caperton v. Massey.
The evening was all the more special for the homage that Chancellor Nordenberg paid in his welcoming remarks to the Reed Smith attorneys working on this case. Dave Fawcett, a third generation graduate of Pitt Law School, and Bruce Stanley were both present in the audience. Following his lecture, Mr. Leamer joined Pitt School of Law Dean William Carter, Duquesne School of Law Dean Kenneth Gormley, and Pitt School of Law Professor John Burkoff in a panel discussion on merit selection of judges.
Our distinguished panelists were as follows:
John Burkoff - Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Ken Gormley - Dean, Duquesne University Law School and Thornburgh Advisory Committee member
Our distinguished moderator for this event is:
William Carter - Dean, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
To learn more about each speaker, simply click on their highlighted name.
This lecture was sponsored by the Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law and Public Policy and the University Honors College.
To learn more about the history of the American Experience Distinguished Lecture series and past speakers, click here.
