Raleigh, NC (Oct. 29, 2010) – Students from Campbell University Law School will visit the U.S. Supreme Court Monday after accepting an invitation from Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Five members of the university’s Hispanic Law Student Association (HLSA) will journey to the nation’s capital for the historic visit with the court’s first Hispanic member. They’ll hear oral arguments in the court before having a private meeting with Sotomayor, who was sworn in August 2009.
“The opportunity for Campbell Law students to witness arguments from some of the nation’s most prominent lawyer’s in front of United States Supreme Court is extraordinary” said Law School Dean Melissa Essary, who is accompanying the students. “However, to have a private audience with Justice Sonia Sotomayor is a once in a lifetime experience for the members of Campbell Law School’s Hispanic Law Student Association.”
The court visit is the latest in a string of accolades for a group that’s barely one year old. In its first year, the group performed a dizzying array of public service. For its efforts, the HLSA was honored last month as Hispanic National Bar Association law student organization of the year.
Sotomayor, the third woman appointed to the nation’s highest court, invited members of the HLSA to visit the court after the group was recognized by the Hispanic National Bar Association.
HLSA President Denisse Gonzalez pointed to Sotomayor’s rise to the Supreme Court as an inspiration for Hispanics and women, but also affirms the nation’s promise of providing opportunity to all its citizens.
“Justice Sotomayor is a role-model for all Latino Americans,” Gonzalez said. “Through her success, she has inspired a new generation of Latino students to set higher goals for their careers through continued education.”
About the Campbell Hispanic Law School Association:HLSA provides support and networking opportunities for Hispanic law students at Campbell. The organization’s goals include building a strong Hispanic student presence as well as celebrating the cultural, academic and legal accomplishments of our Hispanic community. Additionally, the organization is committed to educating and introducing those unfamiliar with Hispanic issues by sponsoring events highlighting the unique needs and values of the Hispanic Community.
About Campbell Law School:Since its founding in 1976, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. The School has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 3,200 alumni, including 2,200 who reside and work in North Carolina. For 23 years, Campbell Law’s record of success on the North Carolina Bar Exam has been unsurpassed by any other North Carolina law school.
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