In celebration of Law Day at Dartmouth, Judge Beth Robinson '86 delivers the Stephen R. Volk '57 Lecture

In celebration of Law Day at Dartmouth, Judge Beth Robinson '86 delivers the Stephen R. Volk '57 Lecture, Courts, Myths, and the Foundation of Liberty. If Americans lose faith in our independent Judiciary, the foundation of our liberty will weaken. One threat to public confidence in the courts is a misunderstanding of how judges do our jobs. Using actual cases, the presentation will explore the practice and challenge of interpreting the law, in an effort to move beyond common myths about judging to more nuanced understanding.

Judge Beth Robinson was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Nov. 2021. Prior to her appointment to the federal court of appeals, she served as an Assoc. Justice on the Vt. Supreme Court for nearly a decade.
 
Before her time on the bench, Robinson served as Counsel to Vt. Governor Peter Shumlin for nearly a year, and practiced law at Langrock Sperry & Wool in Middlebury and Burlington, Vt. for 18 years. Her varied civil practice included workers' compensation and personal injury, employment, family, and civil rights matters. She was best known for her leadership and advocacy for the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Vt.  
 
Judge Robinson graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth in 1986, and Univ. of Chicago Law School, where she was elected to Order of the Coif, in 1989. After law school, she clerked for Judge David B. Sentelle, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.