CONSTITUTION DAY

The Central Valley Foundation-James B. McClatchy lecture series focuses on the First Amendment, but also serves as a vehicle for a universitywide observance of Constitution Day.

And, at first glance, while this year's McClatchy lecture appears to be a month late, (Constitution Day is Sept. 17), the lecture is actually well timed — given that the fall quarter did not begin until late September.

The UC system promotes Constitution Day via this website.

The second installment of the School of Law’s First Amendment lecture series is set for Thursday, Oct. 27, with Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as the speaker.

His topic for the Central Valley Foundation-James B. McClatchy Lecture on the First Amendment, as announced by the law school: “The First Amendment in the Age of Information Overload.”

The lecture is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in the Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom at King Hall. The organizers with the School of Law said a reception will follow. The program is free and open to the public; click here to arrange reservations.

Kozinski has served on the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit since 1985 and has been chief judge since 2007.

He received his undergraduate degree at UCLA, and went on to graduate from the UCLA School of Law in 1975. He served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Warren Burger and for then-Circuit Judge Anthony Kennedy prior to his elevation to the Supreme Court.

Kozinski worked as deputy legal counsel in the office of President-elect Reagan from 1980 to 1981, then became assistant counsel in the Reagan White House.

He served as special counsel to the Merit Systems Protection Board from 1981 to 1982, and as chief judge of the U.S. Claims Court from 1982 to 1985, before Reagan appointed him to the 9th Circuit.

About the series

The Central Valley Foundation is funding the five-year lecture series, which includes "James B. McClatchy" in the title in tribute to the foundation's late founder, a former publisher of The Sacramento Bee and chairman of the The Bee's parent company, McClatchy Newspapers.

As part of its mission, the Central Valley Foundation supports organizations and education programs dedicated to the protection and promotion of First Amendment rights. The foundation also strives to enhance and preserve the valley’s quality of life, in part by supporting programs for children who are not fluent in English and who are learning the language in English-only instructional programs in public elementary schools.