U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Urges Students to Pursue Justice, Better Society at ‘Judging and Legitimacy’ Conference Honoring Judge Robert A. Katzmann

“This conference comes at an excellent time. It presents an opportunity for the public to gain renewed trust in public institutions and public servants,” Justice Sotomayor said of the symposium, which gathered judges and legal experts for a series of panels addressing issues such as the role of judges and approaches to statutory interpretation.

“They are at risk right now, that trust. There is no better way to help do that than studying Bob’s work and examining why and how he gathered respect from so many who hold different views and come from different disciplines,” she said.

Judge Robert A. Katzmann speaking at Dean William M. Treanor’s installation as the Paul Regis Dean Leadership Chair in October 2019.

In her remarks, Justice Sotomayor remembered Katzmann, a federal appeals court judge and former Georgetown faculty member, as her “dear friend and brother” and a talented jurist, accomplished scholar and tireless advocate for justice. Katzmann died in 2021 at age 68.

“Bob forged connections with academics, judges, public servants and lawyers from wide-ranging backgrounds,” she said. “In doing so, he didn’t do it for the sake of connections, he did it for an end, and that was always to better countless institutions, government services, and the lives of people.”

Justice Sotomayor and Katzmann met as students at Yale Law School and became close as colleagues on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where she served as a judge from 1998 to 2009. Katzmann was appointed to the Second Circuit court in 1999 and served as its chief judge from 2013 to 2020 — the first federal judge to hold a doctorate in political science along with a law degree.

“For him, a system of justice working for the people meant that … every person in a community … should know that we have an obligation to work to better society,” Justice Sotomayor said. “Not just at large, but also at the level of individual peoples’ lives.” In a nod to the some 80 students in the audience, who’d entered a lottery to be able to take part, the Justice noted that “every student beginning your career here” has a particular duty to take on such work.

Before becoming a judge, Katzmann taught for more than a decade at Georgetown Law and Georgetown University, where he led the creation of the Bernstein Symposium, which brought Supreme Court justices and members of Congress to campus and the Mullen Visiting Professorship, which brought former solicitors general onto the Georgetown faculty. His commitment to Georgetown Law continued during his judicial tenure: He served as a member of the Law Center’s Board of Visitors from 2005 to 2020.

Justice Sotomayor’s remarks were followed by a keynote address by Dean William M. Treanor, a longtime friend of Katzmann’s, who underscored the relevance of his jurisprudence and purpose-driven approach to statutory interpretation in light of the current dominance of textualism within the judiciary.

“Textualism has extraordinary consequence right now, and Judge Katzmann was the leading voice in offering a different approach,” said Treanor, noting that a majority of current Supreme Court justices “disregard statutory history” in adhering to a strict textualist approach — something that Katzmann sought to avoid by considering Congressional purpose and intent in his analysis and interpretation of laws.

“What Judge Katzmann shows is when you look at legislative history, you’re coming up with an approach that makes sense,” Treanor said. “You’re carrying forth what Congress was trying to do as opposed to looking at a dictionary.”

Treanor also praised Katzmann’s commitment to civic education efforts such as the Second Circuit’s Justice For All: Courts and the Community initiative, which Katzmann founded to increase public understanding of the courts through courthouse field trips and other activities.

Justice Sotomayor similarly highlighted Katzmann’s immigrant rights work. He helped found the Immigrant Justice Corps, which provides legal representation to immigrants in need, and played a key role in the development of New York’s fully funded system of counsel for immigrants facing deportation, the first of its kind in the nation.

“It falls on us to continue his legacy,” Justice Sotomayor concluded, “to live and work each day as he did, with kindness in our hearts and drive to see that justice is done for all.”

To listen to the welcome keynote and opening remarks, watch the video below. Final captions will be available shortly:

On Friday, Sept. 20, panels of jurists and academics discussed various aspects of the role of judges and of Katzmann’s career and legacy. Recordings of the conference panels will be added below as they become available. Final captions will be available shortly: 

Panel 1: A Judge’s Role
Joan Biskupic, L’93, H’14; Paul Clement, F’88; Judge Alison Nathan; Judge Richard Sullivan and Judge John Walker. Moderated by Emily Gold Waldman.

Panel 2: Judging Statutes
Tony Arend, F’80; Judge John Bates; Abbe Gluck; Tara Grove; Professor Anita Krishnakumar and Judge Jed Rakoff. Moderated by Bernadette Meyler.

Lunch: Professor Eloise Pasachoff on the topic of Judge Katzmann’s Clerks

Panel 3: Judicial Administration
Chief Judge David Barron; Jim Duff, L’84; Bert Huang; Marin Levy and Trevor Morrison. Moderated by Rachel Bayefsky.

Panel 4: Second Circuit Colleagues Discuss Judge Katzmann as a Colleague (A)
Judge Joseph Bianco, C’88; Judge Richard Eaton; Judge Eunice Lee and Judge Raymond Lohier. Moderated by Professor Brian Galle, L’06.

Panel 5: Second Circuit Discuss Judge Katzmann as a Colleague (B)
Judge Guido Calabresi, Judge Denny Chin, Judge Pierre Leval and Judge John Walker. Moderated by Brian Richardson.