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Thomas E. Fairchild
December 25, 1912 - February 12, 2007
Judge Fairchild was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1956 and served from January 1957 to August 1966. Although reelected in 1966, he did not serve a second term because on August 11, 1966, President Johnson appointed Judge Fairchild Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He began service on August 24, 1966, and served as Chief Judge from February 7, 1975, to July 1, 1981. Judge Fairchild took senior status on August 31, 1981, and until his death, served as a Senior Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit and, by designation, for eight other federal circuit courts.
Judge Fairchild attended Deep Springs College and Princeton University and received an A.B. degree from Cornell University in 1934. Graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1937, he received his LL.B. after completing office practice in 1938. He served as Attorney General of Wisconsin, 1948-1951, and United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, 1951-1952. He also acted as chairman of the Governor's Commission on Constitutional Revision, 1960-1965, served on the Judicial Conference Committee on Administration of the Probation System, 1969-1972, and was a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1975-1981. Judge Fairchild received honorary degrees from the University of Wisconsin, St. Norbert's College, Carthage College, and the John Marshall Law School.
Judge Fairchild was a member of the American Bar Association; the state bar associations of Wisconsin and Illinois (honorary); the Federal and Seventh Circuit Bar Associations; the Milwaukee, Chicago, and Dane County Bar Associations; the James E. Doyle Inn of Court (honorary); the American Judicature Society; the Institute of Judicial Administration; and the American Law Institute, where he serves on its council. Judge Fairchild also regularly and enthusiastically attended the annual meeting of the Tri-County Bar Association.
Judge Fairchild and his wife, Eleanor (also deceased), had four children: Edward T. Fairchild, Susan Fairchild Chase, Jennifer Fairchild Lord, and Andrew D. Fairchild; eight grandchildren: Elliot T. Fairchild, Justin M. Fairchild, Laura K. Chase, Thomas E. Chase, Mitchell F. Watson, Robyn L. Fairchild, Ned A. Fairchild, and Emily A. Fairchild; and four great-grandchildren: Zachary S. Watson, Andrew Watson, Kaylin Watson, and Nicole Watson.
Thomas E. Fairchild Lecture
The Thomas E. Fairchild Lectureship was established at the University of Wisconsin Law School as a tribute to Judge Fairchild, a 1937 law graduate, former Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, later Chief Judge and Senior Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. For over 40 years, Judge Fairchild demonstrated both a scholarly regard for those principles of law that generations have molded into the American definition of justice and equality and a remarkable sensitivity to the ever-changing human conditions that make the search for justice and equality an ongoing one.
Initiated by Judge Fairchild's law clerks, the lectureship brings to the University of Wisconsin-Madison a distinguished member of the legal profession from the bench, bar, or academia to speak on a topic of importance to the profession.
2012 Fairchild Lecture
"Inequality, Individualized Risk and
Insecurity"
Michael J. Zimmer
4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 27th, 2012
Godfrey and Kahn Room
University of Wisconsin Law School
975 Bascom Mall, Madison, Wisconsin
Limited Seating: Advance registration required
RSVP
Online by April 16, 2012
Directions & Parking Information
2012 Speaker Biography
Michael J. ZimmerProfessor Michael J. Zimmer is a professor of law at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He received his A.B. and J.D. from Marquette University, where he was editor in chief of the Marquette Law Review. He also holds an LL.M. from Columbia University, where he was named a James Kent Fellow. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Thomas E. Fairchild of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and then served as an associate at Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee.
Professor Zimmer began his law school teaching career at the University of South Carolina and he has taught at a number of law schools, most recently as a visiting professor of law at Northwestern University. He joined the Seton Hall University School of Law in 1978, served as associate dean from 1990 to 1994, and has been an emeritus professor since 2008. He has taught in summer programs to American law students in Italy, France, and England and to Chinese law students in Beijing.
A widely recognized scholar in the areas of employment discrimination law, labor and employment law and constitutional law, Professor Zimmer is co-author of one of the first and, still the leading, employment discrimination casebooks as well as co-author of the first casebook on international and comparative employment law. He has also published many articles in leading law journals.
Directions to the Law School and Parking Information
Parking: We recommend people park in either Lot 7 under the Grainger Hall School of Business at the corner of University Avenue and Brooks St.(entrance to Lot 7 is on Brooks Street.) and the Lake Street Ramp, located on N. Lake Street. [More Campus Parking Info]
Previous Fairchild Lectures
| 1988 | A Judge's Use of History Justice John Paul Stevens
| 1989 Wisconsin Law Review 223 |
| 1989 | The Development of Legal Doctrine Through Amicus Participation: The SEC Experience Dean David S. Ruder
| 1989 Wisconsin Law Review 1167 |
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1990 | The Court of Appeals and the Future of the Federal Judiciary The Honorable Kenneth W. Starr
| 1991 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 1991 | The Judicial Function and the Elusive Goal of Principled Decision Making The Honorable Harry T. Edwards
| 1991 Wisconsin Law Review 837 |
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1993 | Appellate Justice: Fairness or Formulas The Honorable Mary Schroeder
| 1994 Wisconsin Law Review 9 |
| 1994 | Refreshing Institutional Memories: Wisconsin and the American Law Institute The Honorable Shirley S. Abrahamson
| 1995 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 1995 | The Life of the Law: Principles of Logic and Experience from the United States Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
| 1996 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 1996 | The Shelf Life of Justice Hugo L. Black John P. Frank, Esq.
| 1997 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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1997 | Moment of Truth for the Legal Profession Sol M. Linowitz, Esq.
| 1997 Wisconsin Law Review 1211 |
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1998 | The Future of the Independent Counsel Statute The Honorable Lawrence Walsh
| 1998 Wisconsin Law Review 1379 |
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1999 | Old and In the Way: The Demographic Transformation of the Legal Profession and Its Implications for the Delivery of Legal Services Professor Marc Galanter
| 1999 Wisconsin Law Review 6 |
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2000 | Will the Death Penalty Remain Alive in the Twenty-First Century? Stephen B. Bright, Esq.
| 2001 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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2001 | The Market for Data: The Changing Role of Social Sciences in Shaping the Law Professor Elizabeth Warren
| 2002 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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2002 | Revitalization of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in the Mid 20th Century The Honorable Patrick Lucey,
The Honorable Gaylord Nelson, Mrs. Ellen Proxmire, Mr. Alexander Shashko | 2003 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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2003 | The Role of District Courts The Honorable Reena Raggi
| 2004 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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2004 | Citizenship in a Time of Repression Michael Traynor, Esq.
| 2005 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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2005 | Upholding an Oath to the Constitution: A Legislator's Responsibilities The Honorable Russ Feingold
| 2006 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 2006 | Thomas E. Fairchild: A Judge's Legacy The Honorable Joan Humphrey Lefkow
| 2007 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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2007 | Snapshots from the Seventh Circuit: Continuity and Change, 1966 to 2007 The Honorable Diane Wood
| 2008 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
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2008 | "Thoughts On How the Legal System Treats Jurors" U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald
| 2009 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 2009 | "Its Only Words: Thoughts of a Lawyer and a Novelist" Scott Turow, Esq.
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| 2010 | "Abraham Lincoln, A Lawyer for the Ages" John Skilton, Esq., Perkins Coie | 2011 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 2011 | "Federal Sentencing Policy: A Path For The Future" The Honorable William K. Sessions III | 2012 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
Audio & Video of Previous Events
Fairchild Lecture 2009
Fairchild Lecture 2008
Streaming Video
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MP3
Fairchild Lecture 2007
Streaming Video
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Fairchild Lecture 2006
Streaming Video
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Fairchild Lecture 2005
Streaming Video
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