Erwin Chemerinsky speaks at the 2012 Judge Justin L. Quackenbush Lecture. Photo: Rajah Bose.
The most highly cited living law professor and founding Dean of University of California, Irvine School of Law, Erwin Chemerinsky engaged and inspired the audience at Gonzaga University School of Law’s third annual Judge Justin L. Quackenbush lecture, held on March 20, 2012. Chemerinsky addressed the Supreme Court’s history, challenges and opportunities in understanding and clarifying the issue of privacy.
A compelling discussion of privacy
“Dean Chemerinsky’s talk at the Quackenbush Lecture was nothing short of dazzling. He is the rock star of constitutional law. We had asked him to talk about privacy in light of a recent Supreme Court 4th Amendment decision involving the police putting a GPS tracking device put on a suspect’s car.” explained Jane Korn, Dean of the Gonzaga School of Law. “Dean Chemerinsky was able to put this recent case in context by explaining the Court’s approach to privacy since the 1920′s; that he was able to do this in under an hour, without notes, and make it accessible to the various degrees of understanding in the audience about constitutional law was truly amazing. His analysis brings much needed clarity to the complex issue of privacy.”
Watch Chemerinsky’s Lecture
Watch the full length of Dean Chemerinsky’s lecture, along with the comments of Judge Justin L. Quackenbush, for whom the lecture series is named.
Three types of privacy
A major theme that ran throughout Chemerinsky’s lecture is that there are three very different types of privacy that the Supreme Court has, thus far, not made legal distinctions between.
- First, privacy from government intrustion; the type of privacy usually cited as a 4th Amendment issue.
- Second, informational privacy, the right to have information not shared or shared as we so desire.
- Finally, personal autonomy as a privacy issue, which is the context in which decisions such as Roe v. Wade are framed.
About the Quackenbush Lecture Series
For the last three years, the Gonzaga School of Law Quackenbush lecture series, supported by the Federal Judges of the Eastern District of Washington, has featured a variety of talented speakers, intended to honor the achievements of Judge Justin L. Quackenbush.
