The West Virginia University College of Law will host its second annual Baker Lecture on Friday, Nov. 9, at 11 a.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom at the WVU Law Center. The lecture is presented in honor of the late C. Edwin Baker, a leading constitutional law scholar. This year’s topic, delivered by Indiana University law professor Susan Williams, will be “A Feminist Vision of Free Speech Theory.” Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

For the past decade, Williams has combined legal scholarship with social action by advising constitutional reformers around the world. She is the Walter W. Foskett Professor of Law and the director of the Center of Constitutional Democracy at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. For her lecture at WVU, Williams will draw inspiration from Baker’s work on free speech to address issues such as commercial speech regulation, hate speech, and political campaign finance regulation to create a feminine perspective.

“We are fortunate to have Susan Williams, a friend of Ed’s and a first-rate constitutional law scholar in her own right,” said Anne Marie Lofaso, WVU professor of law.

Baker, who died in 2009, was the Nicholas F. Gallicchio Professor of Law and Communication at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In 2011, Baker’s family donated his papers to the WVU College of Law. Housed in the George R. Famer, Jr. Law Library, the C. Edwin Baker Collection is a window into the life and work of one of the 20th century’s foremost experts on constitutional law, free speech, and communication law. Portions of the collection will be on display as part of the Baker Lecture program on Nov. 9.

“The Baker Collection is as an important reflection of the development and career of an academic scholar,” said Stewart Plein, WVU Law’s special collections librarian. “It is a rich resource for scholars who are interested in studying freedom of speech, the first amendment, and mass media policy.”

-WVU-

11/05/12

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CONTACT: Kristin Brumley, College of Law
293-7220