Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tue, 12 Jun 2007
On June 4, 2007, Mathew D. Staver, Dean of Liberty University School of Law and Founder of Liberty Counsel, was elected to the Supreme Court Historical Society Board of Trustees. Dean Staver was named as Trustee during the annual meeting of the Society held in the Chambers of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
Prior to his installation as Trustee, the Society hosted Judge Michael McConnell of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals who lectured on the Supreme Court’s first Free Exercise of Religion case. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Stephen Breyer also attended the lecture. In recognition of Dean Staver’s nomination to the Board of Trustees, Justice Samuel Alito, Jr. (pictured left) presented him with a square marble paper weight hewn from the original marble used in the construction of the Supreme Court building.
That same evening the Society held its annual banquet in the beautiful Grand Hall, the large marble interior hall between the entrance to the Court and the Court’s Chambers where the Justices hear oral arguments. Among the many dignitaries present were Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Antonin Scalia, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, and Samuel Alito, Jr. Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was also present, as was Judge Janice Rogers Brown from the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. Following the banquet, the U.S. Army Chorus presented a medley of patriotic music.
The Society was founded in 1974 by former Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, who served as its first honorary chairman, and is dedicated to the collection and preservation of the history of the Supreme Court of the United States. Each year, the Society presents a series of lectures by distinguished scholars focusing on a particular period of the Court’s history.
“I am honored to join the Board of Trustees of the Supreme Court Historical Society,” said Dean Staver. “The Society performs an important public service in preserving the history of the Supreme Court and providing information to the public about the important role of the High Court,” Staver concluded.
Karen Swallow Prior, Associate Professor of English at Liberty University also attended the day’s events and stated, “There is no greater influence on contemporary culture than the reading and interpretation of texts, whether those texts be the constitution, the scriptures, or works of literature. For this reason, it was a great honor to be introduced to those who wield such significant influence in shaping culture today.”