Join discussion of judicial independence and the rule of law at fifth annual Rau Memorial Lecture

Judge Michelle Childs

Mitchell Hamline will be hosting the fifth annual Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture on Dec. 1, centered on the critical issues of judicial independence and the rule of law currently facing the legal profession. Judge Michelle Childs from the United States Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, will deliver a keynote address, followed by a panel discussion about the attorney’s oath and the practical steps attorneys can take to honor that oath. The panel, moderated by Mitchell Hamline Professor Jason Marisam, will bring Mitchell Hamline Professor Ana Pottratz Acosta, Paul Floyd ’83, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison together in conversation.

“Not only is the practice of law in-and-of itself challenging, but given the current public climate where the rule of law seems to be under immense pressure, for a great many in our profession those challenges may consequently appear to be presently on the rise,” said Magistrate Judge Leo Brisbois ’87, who serves as chair of the 2025 lecture planning committee.

“This year’s program seeks to show members of our Bar that they are not alone in any concerns that they may be feeling about continued adherence to the rule of law, but also provide a positive note that our profession sees a way forward by working collectively, where every lawyer can contribute in their own individual way, toward redressing those concerns and maintaining a strong, public commitment and adherence to the rule of law for the benefit of current and future generations.”

Judge Michelle Childs was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, in 2022, following 12 years serving in the United States District Court, District of South Carolina. Previously, she was a state circuit court judge, commissioner on the Workers’ Compensation Commission, and deputy director for the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation’s Division of Labor in South Carolina. Judge Childs is active with local, state, and national bar organizations, including the American Inns of Court Board of Trustees and United States Supreme Court Fellows Commission.

Professor Jason Marisam has been teaching constitutional law, administrative law, and civil procedure at Mitchell Hamline since 2022. His research focuses on voting rights, election law, and administrative law. In 2021, he was honored as an Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer for his work on the 2020 election when he was an assistant attorney general for the State of Minnesota.

Professor Ana Pottratz Acosta joined Mitchell Hamline in 2016 as a clinical instructor teaching the Health Law Clinic and overseeing the Medical-Legal Partnership between the law school and United Family Medicine. Her expertise is in immigration law, previously serving as an immigration attorney at Stinson Leonard Street and Lutheran Social Services of New York Immigration Legal Services Program. She is currently a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Paul Floyd ’83, known as the “lawyer’s lawyer,” uses his experience as a business litigator and transactional attorney to provide legal advice to solo and small law firm owners about business issues they may face. He is a partner at Wallen-Friedman & Floyd. He has served as president of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and Hennepin County Bar Foundation.

Keith Ellison was sworn in as Minnesota’s 30th attorney general in 2019. From 2007 to 2019, he represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he founded the Congressional Antitrust Caucus and Congressional Consumer Justice Caucus. Previously, Ellison served in the Minnesota House of Representatives and as an attorney specializing in civil rights and defense law, including time as executive director of the Legal Rights Center.

The annual Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture series was established in recognition of Judge Rau by the Mitchell Hamline Alumni Association Board after his passing in 2019. Judge Rau was a member of the law school’s board of trustees and a well-known member of the legal community, and the series honors his contributions to Mitchell Hamline and his commitment to civility and collegiality in the legal profession. A memorial scholarship was also established in his name.

The event begins at 4:30 pm in the Mitchell Hamline auditorium, with a reception to follow. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend and are asked to register online by Nov. 26.