{"id":73225,"date":"2025-11-07T16:30:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/?p=73225"},"modified":"2025-11-07T16:31:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:31:30","slug":"join-mitchell-hamline-for-fifth-annual-rau-memorial-lecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/07\/join-mitchell-hamline-for-fifth-annual-rau-memorial-lecture\/","title":{"rendered":"Join discussion of judicial independence and the rule of law at fifth annual Rau Memorial Lecture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Judge Michelle Childs<\/p><\/div>\n

Mitchell Hamline will be hosting the fifth annual Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture<\/a> 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\u2019s 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 \u201983, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison together in conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot 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,\u201d said Magistrate Judge Leo Brisbois \u201987<\/strong>, who serves as chair of the 2025 lecture planning committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judge Michelle Childs<\/strong> 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\u2019 Compensation Commission, and deputy director for the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\t\t