On March 28, 1955, NYLS alumnus John Marshall Harlan ’24 formally took his seat as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.  An article titled “Mr. Worth Street,” appearing in the April/May 1998 issue of the NYLS student newspaper The Reporter, provides a short sketch of the Justice’s professional career and […]

On this day in March 1950, Ferdinand Pecora, who attended New York Law School from 1903-1905, delivered the Commencement Address for the law school’s commencement exercises at the New York County Lawyers’ Association. Pecora received an Honorary Degree from the Law School in 1958. He was best known in his role as Chief Counsel to […]

GovTrack.us offers the impeachment.guide, an online guide tracking the impeachment inquiry of President Trump.  It contains a complete chronology, beginning in 2018 and ending with last week’s public hearings.  It also provides links to key documents, identifies possible charges the President may face and offers background on how the impeachment and removal process works. The […]

September 11 marks one of the darkest days in New York City history. That day in 2001, close to 3,000 people were killed when four US commercial planes were hijacked and then weaponized. Two of the planes were intentionally flown into the Word Trade Center’s Twin Towers, New York City landmarks within walking distance of the […]

Martin Luther King Day Legislation signed in 1983 marked the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a federal holiday, celebrated on the third Monday of each January. In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service, now led by the Corporation for National […]

Constitution Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the date on which thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, signed the United States Constitution in 1787.  The Convention was convened as a result of dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States.  For deeper […]

September 4 marks the first day of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. President Donald Trump nominated the D.C. Circuit Court judge to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Check out the SCOTUSblog for live blogging of the hearing. For articles, books, congressional materials, and web resources […]

In 1869, Myra Bradwell, who had passed the Illinois bar exam, was denied admission to the bar, on the grounds that a married woman couldn’t enter into contracts because of the common law doctrine of coverture and also because of her gender.  In the Illinois Supreme Court’s view, women weren’t entitled to practice law. Voting […]

Did you know that NYLS’s 57 Worth Street building encompasses the site (236 Church Street) that was once home to Freedom’s Journal, the first newspaper published in the United States by and for black Americans? Founded in 1827 to provide a voice against racism and intolerance, it denounced slavery and lynchings and advocated for black […]

We are nearing the end of September and that means the new Supreme Court term is right around the corner!  Every year, the first Monday in October marks the beginning of a new term.  This year’s term begins on Monday, October 2. As of now, the Court has agreed to hear 32 cases.  Justices will […]