Harvard Law School announced that it has established the Antonin Scalia Professorship of Law in recognition of the historic tenure of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ’60. The professorship is endowed by the Considine Family Foundation.

“Justice Scalia had a singular impact on statutory analysis and legal thought. He also had a great love of learning, so it is especially meaningful that he will be honored with a professorship that will provide enduring support for teaching and scholarship at the Law School and beyond,” said Martha Minow, Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor at Harvard Law School. “We are deeply grateful to the Considine Family Foundation for endowing this professorship, which stands as both a testament to Justice Scalia’s legacy on the Supreme Court and as a vote of confidence in a new generation of scholars.”

Scalia, known as the foremost proponent of textualism on the Supreme Court, served as an Associate Justice for thirty years until his death in 2016.

“It is wholly appropriate that Justice Scalia’s accomplishments, intellectual legacy, and dedication to the founding principles of the United States Constitution be recognized at Harvard Law School, his beloved alma mater,” said Terry Considine ’71, who with his wife Betsy formed the Considine Family Foundation. “Betsy and I offer special thanks to Dean Minow for her commitment to the establishment of the Scalia Professorship and hope that it gives her great satisfaction as she prepares to conclude her service as Dean of Harvard Law School.”

Terry Considine graduated from Harvard College in 1968 and from Harvard Law School in 1971. Betsy Considine graduated from Harvard Business School in 1977. Together, they have been active in business, education, and raising a family, while never forgetting their debt to Harvard and its Law School.

A lasting connection

Scalia received his A.B. from Georgetown University and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, before earning his LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He went on to work in private practice and as a professor of law. Several years into teaching, Scalia was appointed to the first of several Executive Branch positions as General Counsel of the Office of Telecommunications Policy. He later served as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice. He was appointed Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1982.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated Scalia as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. He was confirmed on September 17, 1986.

Scalia felt a deep connection to Harvard Law School and often returned to campus to speak with students and faculty. In 2006, the Law School hosted a celebration of the 20th anniversary of his appointment to the Supreme Court.

In March 2017, the Justice’s family announced their gift of his papers to the Harvard Law School Library. The Antonin Scalia Collection includes judicial papers from Scalia’s early career and from his tenures on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.