Fordham Law School admitted 23 alumni to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court at this year’s annual admission ceremony on March 7. The event, held in Washington, D.C. at the Court, brings friends and family of the Fordham Law community together to celebrate current alumni that have achieved this honor and to inspire future graduates.
The Fordham Law alumni admission ceremony has taken place annually since 1986. This year, the motion was made by Professor Constantine N. “Gus” Katsoris ’57, who has been involved with the admission ceremony for over 25 years.
Professor Constantine Katsoris ’57 with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
“The sentimental value of the ceremony gives me goose bumps; I get excited just thinking about it,” said Professor Katsoris. “It has been an honor to have been permitted to act as a sponsor for so many Fordham Law alumni, faculty, and friends.”
Professor Katsoris has admitted over 1,000 graduates to practice before the highest U.S court, including three Fordham deans—John Feerick ’61, William Michael Treanor, and Michael M. Martin—and Theodore Kresbach ’78, who served on the Shearson/American Express Inc. v. McMahon Supreme Court case regarding the arbitration of private securities fraud claims arising from the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
“This ceremony has a long history and is one of the leading ceremonies of the Fordham Law Alumni Association,” said Professor Katsoris. “The thrill of partaking in the admissions ceremony has grown with each passing year. It sends a message to present and future alumni to sign up to be admitted, and it means a lot to the families and friends who attend.”
For the ceremony, prospective members of the bar gather in the Supreme Court courtroom, where Professor Katsoris makes a motion before the high court to admit the new members. This year, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas visited the group of admitted alumni. Among those admitted with this year’s cohort was a mother-daughter duo: Patricia Angley ’87 and Mary Lenard ’55.
Fordham Law alumni with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (seated, fifth from right) and Dean Matthew Diller (seated, sixth from left)
Fordham Law remains one of the few institutions to regularly admit a large group of alumni to the Supreme Court bar. For this year’s admissions ceremony, alumni traveled from as far away as Texas. Following the event, alumni and their guests were invited to a dinner to celebrate with Fordham’s D.C. alumni chapter.
Next year’s ceremony is scheduled for May 1, 2017.
