School of Social Transformation event to discuss justice and 21st-century Supreme Court

The School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University will celebrate virtually the 2021 annual John P. Frank Memorial Lecture with Neal Katyal as a featured guest on Tuesday, April 13. 

Katyal is a distinguished law professor with more than two decades of experience at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was one of the youngest professors to have received tenure and a chaired professorship in the university’s history. At Georgetown, Katyal also serves as faculty chair of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. 

Katyal runs one of the largest Supreme Court law practices in the world. He has argued 43 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, more than any other minority attorney, breaking the record of Thurgood Marshall.

His Ted Talk, titled "How to Win an Argument (at the Supreme Court, or anywhere)," has garnered close to 1.9 million views. He served as acting solicitor general during the Obama administration — the federal government's top courtroom lawyer.

American Lawyer magazine recently named him the top litigator of the year nationwide, and Katyal was presented with Edmund Randolph Award, the highest award the Justice Department can give a civilian.

Building on his recent book, "Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump," Katyal hosts the online series "Courtside," where he examines Trump's post-election litigation. Katyal is now serving the Minnesota attorney general's office as a special prosecutor in the Derek Chauvin case.

"I’m so looking forward to discussing the state of the law, all illuminated by the work of John P. Frank," Katyal said. 

Presented by ASU's justice and social inquiry program, the John P. Frank Memorial Lecture series honors the memory of lawyer John P. Frank (1917–2002), recognized as part of the team that argued the landmark case Miranda v. Arizona before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966. The case established the Miranda warning that requires police to inform suspects of their right to legal counsel.

Frank also wrote or delivered arguments for numerous First Amendment and desegregation cases, including important contributions to the historical brief for Brown v. Board of Education. A lawyer, constitutional scholar, historian, author and generous mentor, Frank was influential in shaping public policy in Arizona and the nation.

“The John P. Frank Memorial Lecture Series has hosted some of the finest legal minds over the last two decades. Neal Katyal, our guest this year, brings both a deep commitment as well as a critical eye to law as a pathway to justice,” said Madelaine Adelman, professor of justice and social inquiry in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University.

The John P. Frank Memorial Lecture featuring Katyal is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (PT) Tuesday, April 13, and will be livestreamed on YouTube. This event is free of charge and open to the public. 

Visit https://sst.asu.edu/frank-lecture for more information about this event. Register for the 2021 Annual John P. Frank Memorial Lecture.