Furman president Rod Smolla is delivering the keynote address this month at a University of Minnesota conference focusing on the First Amendment. The week-long event, \u201cThey All Began Here: Minnesota\u2019s Landmark Supreme Court Cases Then and Now,” looks at Minnesota U.S. Supreme Court cases and how the decisions impact First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n
Smolla is one of America\u2019s foremost experts on issues relating to freedom of speech, academic freedom and freedom of the press.\u00a0 Prior to coming to Furman, he served three years as Dean and Roy L. Steinheimer Professor of Law at Washington and Lee School of Law.\u00a0 He has also been Dean and Allen Professor at the University of Richmond School of Law as well as Director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law at the College of William & Mary.<\/p>\n
During his legal career, Smolla has presented arguments in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.\u00a0 A native of the Chicago area, he is a 1975 graduate of Yale University and graduated first in his class from Duke University Law School in 1978.<\/p>\n