San Francisco Citizen

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“The Honorable Judge Vaughn Walker to Keynote UC Hastings College of the Law Commencement - 448 Students Eligible to Attend; Honorary Degrees for Interned Japanese-American UC Hastings Students

SAN FRANCISCO, May 5, 2011  – The University of California Hastings College of the Law Class of 2011 Commencement ceremony will take place Sunday, May 15, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove Street, San Francisco, California 94102.

The Honorable Judge Vaughn R. Walker, Retired

Vaughn R. Walker became a judge in February 1990, having been nominated by President George H. W. Bush and earlier by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the United States Senate.  He was a judge for the United States District Court, Northern District of California, for the past 21 years and chief judge for the past six years until his retirement in 2011.

Walker presided over 8,000 cases, more than 250 jury and bench trials and numerous settlement conferences.  He is known for his handling of complex, high-profile cases in the fields of antitrust, copyright and patent law and in cases involving disputes over securities fraud, terrorist surveillance and same-sex marriage. These cases include his August 2010 ruling holding California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional; a 2007 multi-district series of cases challenging telecommunications carriers’ alleged cooperation with the Terrorist Surveillance Program of the Bush Administration; copyright infringement cases between Apple Computer and Microsoft Corporation; and Oracle’s merger/hostile takeover of PeopleSoft, approved despite Justice Department opposition.

Honorary Degrees for Interned Japanese-American UC Hastings Students

Included in the commencement ceremony, UC Hastings will confer honorary degrees on Japanese-American students whose studies were interrupted in 1942 due to Executive Order 9066.

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, over 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and communities, sent to remote internment camps across the United States, and denied all constitutional rights. Approximately 700 students enrolled at UC Hastings and other University of California campuses were among the Japanese Americans sent to internment camps.

Those who did not return to complete their education will receive the honorary degree of  Inter Silvas Academi Restituere Iustitiam (to restore justice to the groves of the academy):

–  Toshi Ando
–  Abe Megumi Fuji
–  Pearl Virginia Mayeda
–  Roy Gancho Mita
–  Kenichi Nishimoto
–  James Hiroshi Ogisaka
–  Clark Kuichi Saito (Expected to Attend)

UC Hastings also honors these students who completed their studies:

–  Victor Senjiro Abe (Class of ’42)
–  Harry Goza (Class of ’47)
–  Mamoru Sakuma (Class of ’49)

The Honorable Dennis Hayashi (Class of ’78), Superior Court Judge, County of Alameda, will give brief remarks and accept honorary degrees on behalf of students unable to attend. While serving as Staff Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus, Hayashi was a co-counsel in the renowned civil rights case Fred Korematsu v. United States. Korematsu was convicted in 1942 for failing to obey World War II Japanese American internment orders. Hayashi and the legal team successfully argued to overturn Korematsu’s conviction.

More Information

Important Commencement Notes, including tickets, graduation requirements, a “Grad Day To Do” handout, and a link to the Employment Survey is available through the UCHastings website (www.uchastings.edu) in the Student Services section.

About UC Hastings College of the Law: UC Hastings is one of the top-rated and largest law schools in the United States. Its 18,000 living graduates span the globe and are among the most respected lawyers, judges and business leaders today.