WESTFIELD – Westfield State University will host author Joan Biskupic on Wednesday, February 18 at 7 p.m. in Scanlon Banquet Hall.
Joan Biskupic is a lawyer and journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering judiciary news and the Supreme Court at many different publications including USA Today, The Washington Post, and Congressional Weekly. She currently works as editor in charge for legal affairs at Reuters News. Biskupic has published three books: “Sandra Day O’Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice,” “American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia,” and most recently, “Breaking In: the Rise of Sonia Sotomayor and the Politics of Justice.”
Biskupic frequently serves as commentator on television and radio programs including Washington Week with Gwen Ifill, the NPR Diane Rehm Show, and NBC’s Today Show.
Biskupic will discuss her latest book “Breaking in,” which details of the life and career of Sonia Sotomayor, who became the first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court Justice in 2009.
Born in the Bronx to Puerto-Rican born parents, Sotomayor’s legal career spans three decades. After graduating from Yale Law School where she was an advocate for the hiring of Latino faculty, Sotomayor worked as a district attorney in New York and joined a private practice. She was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by President Bill Clinton in 1997 and assumed office in the Supreme Court in 2009 after being nominated by President Barack Obama. In addition to being the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, she’s the third woman to serve the role.
Some notable rulings include J.B.D. v. North Carolina in which a 13-year old student enrolled in special education classes suspected of committing robbery was not given a Miranda warning during his interrogation. Sotomayor ruled that age should be taken into account during interrogation. She was also part of a 5-3 majority in Arizona v. the United States that struck down aspects of an Arizona anti-illegal immigration law.
Biskupic will sign copies of her book after the lecture. She earned her B.A. in journalism from Marquette University, her M.A. in English from the University of Oklahoma, and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
There will be a private reception held before the lecture from 6-7 p.m. where audience members will have the opportunity to meet with Biskupic, received a signed copy of her book, and get preferred seating for the lecture. Tickets are $50 and must be reserved by February 11 by contacting Kim Morgan at [email protected] or calling (413) 572-5400.
The lecture is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Westfield State University Department of Advancement and University Relations.
