Guest Speakers
Justin Driver
Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School
Thursday, February 19, 2026
12 Noon
The Affirmative Action Wars
New Paths to Inclusion & Racial Equity
Justin Driver is the Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He teaches and writes in the field of constitutional law and is the author of “The Fall of Affirmative Action: Race, the Supreme Court, and the Future of Higher Education.” An elected member of the American Law Institute and an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, President Biden appointed Driver to serve on the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. A recipient of the American Society for Legal History’s William Nelson Cromwell Article Prize, Driver has a distinguished publication record in the nation’s leading law reviews. He has also written extensively for general audiences, including pieces in The Atlantic, The New Republic, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Before entering legal academia, Driver served as a law clerk at U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and at the Supreme Court of the United States.
Jonathan Holloway
President and CEO of the
Henry R. Luce Foundation
Friday October 10, 2025
Lecture: 11:30 AM – 1:00pm
"The History of Absence: Race and the Making of the Modern World
As we approach the 250th anniversary of this nation’s founding, we invite you to join us for a powerful and thought-provoking conversation that asks: Whose stories, labor, and intellect shaped the world we live in today?
We are honored to welcome Dr. Jonathan Holloway—renowned historian of post-emancipation America and current President & CEO of the Henry R. Luce Foundation—as our first AAWLS guest of the year. With a distinguished career that includes serving as the 21st president of Rutgers University, Dr. Holloway brings deep insight into the social and intellectual forces that have defined our shared history.
This lecture promises to challenge, inspire, and deepen our understanding of the American experience as we reflect on its past and imagine its future.
Let’s begin this academic year with curiosity, courage, and community!