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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 served 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 in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin Law School as a tribute to Judge Fairchild. Judge Fairchild, a 1937 UW Law School graduate, was Wisconsin Attorney General, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, circuit judge, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and then later chief judge and ultimately senior circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit until his death on February 12, 2007. For 50 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 former law clerks, the lectureship brings to the University of Wisconsin Law School a distinguished member of the legal profession — from the bench, bar, or academia — to speak on a topic of importance to the profession.
2016 Fairchild Lecture
Our Justice System at an Inflection Point
by
William C. Hubbard
4 p.m.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Godfrey & Kahn Hall, Room 2260
University of Wisconsin Law School
975 Bascom Mall, Madison, Wisconsin
Reception immediately following
For more information:
Contact Jini Jasti at jini.jasti@wisc.edu or (608) 263-7906
2016 Fairchild Lecturer
William C. Hubbard
William C. Hubbard, a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Columbia, South Carolina, is immediate past president of the American Bar Association.
Hubbard established the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services, which will make recommendations on how technology and innovation can help expand the availability of affordable legal services to the poor and middle class. As president, he also emphasized the ABA's advocacy on criminal justice and sentencing reform, strengthened the association's legal efforts on behalf of domestic violence victims, and led the ABA's commemoration of the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in June 2015.
Hubbard has held a variety of leadership positions within the ABA. He served two years as chair of the ABA House of Delegates (2008-10) and is a past president of the American Bar Foundation and the American Bar Endowment. He also served on the ABA Board of Governors, the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, and the ABA Young Lawyers Division as its chair. He is a member of the council of the American Law Institute, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Hubbard is chair of the board of directors of the World Justice Project, a multinational, multidisciplinary initiative to strengthen the rule of law worldwide. He is a permanent member of the US Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. In addition to South Carolina, he is also admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the US District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Hubbard also has served on the board of trustees of the University of South Carolina since 1986, including as chairman of the board from 1996 to 2000.
Hubbard practices business litigation related to breach of contract, business torts, breach of fiduciary duty claims, unfair trade practices, energy and utilities disputes, and class actions.
In 2002, Hubbard received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award given by the governor of South Carolina. In 2007, he received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Fourth Circuit. In 2015, he was called to the bench as an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple in London.
Before joining Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Hubbard served as a law clerk for Judge Robert F. Chapman of the US District Court for the District of South Carolina. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He received his JD degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1977.
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 Chief Justice 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? Mr. 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 Mr. 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 Mr. Scott Turow, Esq.
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| 2010 | Abraham Lincoln, A Lawyer for the Ages Mr. 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 |
| 2012 | Inequality, Individualized Risk and Insecurity Professor Michael J. Zimmer
| 2013 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 2013 | The War on Drugs The Honorable William J. Bauer | 2014 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
| 2014 | Protecting the Fourth Amendment
So We Do Not Sacrifice Freedom for Security Mr. Collins T. Fitzpatrick, Esq. | 2015 Wisconsin Law Review 1 |
Audio & Video of Previous Events
Fairchild Lecture 2009
Fairchild Lecture 2008
Streaming Video
Video Download
MP3
Fairchild Lecture 2007
Streaming Video
Video Download
MP3
Fairchild Lecture 2006
Streaming Video
Video Download
MP3
Fairchild Lecture 2005
Streaming Video
Video Download
MP3
