Judge Guido Calabresi receives the Dr. John and Liz Murray Scholarship Award

Among his many distinctions, Judge Calabresi began teaching at Yale Law School in 1959 and became a full professor in 1961, the youngest in the history of the Yale Law School. He served as Sterling Professor of Law, then Dean of Yale Law School for nearly 10 years. Judge Calabresi was subsequently appointed to the Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, where he has served for more than 30 years and remains a senior judge. He continues to teach at Yale Law School as Sterling Professor Emeritus and Professorial Lecturer in Law. 

Judge Calabresi received his B.S. degree, summa cum laude, from Yale College in 1953, a B.A. degree with First Class Honors from Magdalen College, Oxford University, in 1955, an LL.B. degree, magna cum laude, in 1958 from Yale Law School, and an M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University in 1959. A Rhodes Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa and Order of the Coif, Judge Calabresi served as the Note Editor of the Yale Law Journal, 1957-58, while graduating first in his law school class.

Following graduation, Judge Calabresi clerked for Justice Hugo Black of the United States Supreme Court. He has been awarded more than sixty honorary degrees from universities in the United States and abroad and is the author of eight books and over a hundred articles on law and related subjects.

“Judge Calabresi’s legal and scholarly contributions are remarkable. He garnered his vast legal knowledge over a career that spans decades, and it was an exceptional experience to hear firsthand about his insights on contemporary legal questions. It was also a distinct privilege to honor his noteworthy career with the Murray Scholarship Award,” said Ken Gormley, president of Duquesne University. “When we created that award over a decade ago, then-Chancellor John Murray expressed a hope that Judge Calabresi would one day be a recipient. That made the award presentation even more special.”    

Duquesne Kline School of Law Dean April Barton was likewise grateful for this rare opportunity to host and spend time with Judge Calabresi.

“He is a revered professor, esteemed dean, celebrated judge, and co-founder of the field of law and economics. Judge Calabresi has taught, shaped, and inspired countless legal minds. His supreme intellect, unmatched energy, and gracious warmth were on full display, and it was an absolute pleasure to honor him with the Murray Scholarship Award. The evening served as a powerful reminder of the profound influence one dedicated scholar can have on generations of lawyers and jurists,” she said.