From ‘created equal’ to ‘born equal’: Join an evening of constitutional inquiry at sixth annual Rau Memorial Lecture

Hon. Steven E. Rau ’83

Mitchell Hamline School of Law is pleased to host the sixth annual Hon. Steven E. Rau ’83 Memorial Lecture on Nov. 19, reflecting on the enduring principles of equality and citizenship in America in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, will deliver the keynote address through the lens of his recent book, “Born Equal: Remaking America’s Constitution, 1840–1920.”  A distinguished panel will bring together Mitchell Hamline Professor Jason Marisam, former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan C. Page, ACLU Minnesota Legal Director Teresa Nelson ’96, and University of St. Thomas Professor Michael Stokes Paulsen in conversation to examine the history, evolution, and constitutional questions surrounding birthright citizenship.

The 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 lecture and panel discussion begin at 5 pm in the Mitchell Hamline auditorium, with a reception to follow at 6:45 pm. 1.5 CLE credits are pending. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend and must register online by Nov. 6.

About the speakers

Professor Akhil Reed Amar

Keynote speaker Akhil Reed Amar is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law in both Yale College and Yale Law School. He graduated from Yale College, summa cum laude, in 1980 and from Yale Law School in 1984, and clerked for then Judge (later Justice) Stephen Breyer. He is Yale’s only living professor to have won the university’s Sterling Chair for scholarship, DeVane Medal for teaching, and Lamar Award for alumni service. Amar’s work has won awards from the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society, and he has been cited by Supreme Court justices in more than 50 cases. He is the author of more than a hundred law review articles and several books and has appeared on many broadcasts.

Professor Jason Marisam holds the Judge Edward J. Devitt Professorship at Mitchell Hamline. He has been teaching constitutional law, administrative law, and civil procedure at the law school 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. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Former Justice Alan C. Page joined the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1992, becoming the first African American on the court and one of the few associate justices ever to join the court through election rather than gubernatorial appointment. He retired in 2015. In 2018, Justice Page received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Before practicing law, he was known for his football career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame at Notre Dame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame after playing for the Vikings and Chicago Bears. Justice Page and his wife Diane also founded the Page Education Foundation, which assists Minnesota students of color pursue post-secondary education.

Teresa Nelson ’96 is the legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota. Over three decades, she has helped guide the organization’s expansion from a three-person staff to more than 30 full-time employees serving over 50,000 members and supporters statewide. Nelson has built a distinguished record in civil rights and civil liberties litigation and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Minnesota Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society (ACS). She was named a Minnesota Lawyer Top Woman in Law in 2024 and received the Justice David Lillehaug Award for Distinguished Leadership from ACS Minnesota in 2026. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Winona State University and is a Mitchell Hamline alumna.

Professor Michael Stokes Paulsen is the Distinguished University Chair and Professor of Law at the University of St. Thomas. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, Yale Law School, and Yale Divinity School. Before teaching, Paulsen served as a federal criminal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice, a private civil rights/religious freedom litigator, and attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel for the Department of Justice under President George H.W. Bush. Paulsen is the author of more than ninety scholarly articles, book chapters, and books on constitutional law. He has taught or lectured at numerous universities around the world and serves as a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.