Coffin Corner

The Institute for American Values

CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO JOIN

A CONVERSATION WITH

RALPH RICHARD BANKS

Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School
and Author, Is Marriage for White People?
How the Decline of African American Marriage Affects Everyone

HOSTED BY

LEAH WARD SEARS

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice (retired)

SEATING IS LIMITED. To reserve a seat, please RSVP to info@americanvalues.org OR 212-246-3942. Program will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.

About the Panelist:

Ralph Richard Banks is the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, where he has taught since 1998. He teaches and writes about family law, race and inequality. Professor Banks has previously authored dozens of commentary articles in the popular press, including the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Professor Banks received Bachelors and Masters degrees from Stanford University in 1987 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1994. Prior to joining the Stanford Law School faculty in 1998, professor Banks served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Barrington D. Parker, Jr., then of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; was a Reginald F. Lewis Fellow at Harvard Law School; and worked as an associate in the San Francisco office of the law firm O'Melveny & Myers.

About the Host:

Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears (retired) is the first woman and the youngest person ever to serve on the Georgia Supreme Court. Retiring from the court in July 2009, after 24 years of distinguished service in the state's judiciary, Justice Sears reentered private practice where she currently leads the National Appellate Team at Schiff Hardin, LLP. In retaining her position on the Georgia Supreme Court, Justice Sears became the first woman to win a contested statewide election in Georgia. During her tenure on the Supreme Court, Justice Sears spearheaded innovative programs such as the Georgia Supreme Court's Commission on Children, Marriage and Family Law, as well as The Access to Justice Project. Justice Sears contributes her talents to academia as well, having taught at both Emory University and The University of Georgia. Currently she serves on the Board of Trustees for Emory University, The Carter Center, the Advisory Board for the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Cornell University Council. At the Institute for American Values, Chief Justice Sears presently serves as a board member and is the William Thomas Sears Distinguished Fellow in Family Law.