Judge Ken Starr Speaks to the Federalist Society Amid Teaching Regent Law Students
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (January 30, 2020) – Judge Ken Starr, J.D., Regent University’s newest senior lecturing fellow for the School of Law, spoke to a packed house on Tuesday, January 28, in a premier event hosted by the Federalist Society on Regent’s Virginia Beach campus. Law students, members of the local community and honored guests, including Bob McDonnell, former governor of Virginia and Regent Law alumnus, were in attendance.
Starr, who argued 36 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, has had a distinguished career in academia, public service and the law. He served as U.S. Solicitor General, United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, Counselor and Chief of Staff to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith, and law clerk to both Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and to Fifth Circuit Judge David W. Dyer. He was appointed to serve as Independent Counsel for five investigations, including Whitewater. He also served as president and chancellor of Baylor University and dean of the Pepperdine School of Law and is a New York Times best-selling author.
Just weeks ago, Starr was announced as a member of President Donald Trump’s legal team for his Senate Impeachment Trial.
Starr spoke about his defense of the president at the impeachment trial, what constitutes an impeachable offense, and the importance of protecting our Constitution. “You are called to be warriors for the law,” he challenged Regent Law students.
Citing parts of the preamble of the Constitution … “We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect union, establish justice … and secure the Blessings of Liberty” … Starr stressed that “there will be no ‘domestic tranquility’ if we don’t have justice.”
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina Mark Martin, who resigned from the bench to become dean of the School of Law, introduced Starr, highlighting his remarkable career and the experience he brings to the school and students. Starr acknowledged, “Regent lawyers are everywhere now. … I came here to teach because I was inspired by Regent’s vision for the law. Religious freedom needs the type of law students Regent is producing.”
Regent Law walked into 2020 with a powerhouse of activity, with momentum building. In less than one year Martin has added more than 10 senior lecturing fellows to its already well-anchored law faculty. When asked about adding Starr, yet another high-profile expert to Regent Law, Martin said: “It’s a tremendous honor to have Judge Starr here with us. We are so pleased that he is teaching our students. Opportunities like this, which when you put them all together, have become a series of distinguished speakers. It’s also become the new norm here and something that sets us apart.”
Regent Professor James Duane, J.D., who is co-teaching the religious liberty seminar with Starr added: “His presence here on our campus is a tremendous blessing for all of our university community. He has a simply stellar record of professional achievement.” Duane noted that Starr’s willingness to share his lifetime of legal experience and insight with Regent Law students speaks to the school’s commitment to provide a world-class legal education. His presence further positions Regent Law as a fierce competitor in the field of law.
ABOUT REGENT UNIVERSITY AND THE SCHOOL OF LAW
Founded in 1977, Regent University has nearly 11,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in 135+ program areas including business, communication and the arts, cybersecurity and technology, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing and healthcare, and psychology. Currently, Regent University is ranked among top national universities by U.S. News & World Report and is one of only 23 universities nationally to receive an “A” rating for its comprehensive liberal arts core curriculum.
Regent Law’s more than 3,300 graduates practice law in 49 states and over 20 countries and include 38 currently sitting judges. Regent Law ranks 20th in the U.S. in ultimate bar passage rates as determined by the American Bar Association. Twenty-six percent of the graduates in the Regent Law Class of 2019 serve as federal and state law clerks. The Regent Law full-time faculty includes graduates from Harvard, Yale, University of Chicago, and other prestigious colleges and universities. Extended faculty include federal and state appellate judges, and distinguished attorneys such as former Solicitor General Ken Starr and former Attorney General John Ashcroft.