Gov. Wolf Nominates Law Dean Ken Gormley for Pa. Supreme Court
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has nominated School of Law Dean Ken Gormley to fill one of two vacancies on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
“I am deeply honored that Governor Wolf has nominated me to fill a vacancy on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court,” said Gormley. “I have spent much of my career in law and legal academics interacting with that court and admiring the high quality of its work. Throughout my life, I have believed that dedicating a portion of one’s career to public service is an essential piece of serving in the legal profession. I therefore consider it one of the greatest privileges possible, to be nominated for this position of public trust at the highest level of our legal system.
“If confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate, I look forward to working with all of my energy to make a meaningful contribution to the Court, and to the people of this Commonwealth for whom the system of laws and justice exists.”
Gormley has served as the 11th dean of Duquesne’s School of Law since March 2010 after serving as interim dean for 15 months.
“A successful and respected lawyer, teacher and scholar, Ken is a man of great intellect, character and integrity,” said President Dr. Charles J. Dougherty. “He has also been an exceptional leader of our School of Law. Ken’s reputation for fairness and his balanced approach with complex issues have served him well throughout his career and will certainly prove to be valuable as a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice.”
During his wide array of legal experience, Gormley has clerked for U.S. District Judge Donald E. Ziegler; served as a special clerk to Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; practiced law in the field of civil litigation for the firm of Cindrich & Titus; served as executive director of the Pennsylvania Reapportionment Commission; taught at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the University of Pittsburgh Department of Political Science; and served as of-counsel with the firm of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis in its litigation and appellate sections. Gormley also is the principal editor of The Pennsylvania Constitution: A Treatise on Rights and Liberties.
Since joining the law school faculty in 1994, Gormley has taught courses in constitutional law, state constitutional law, political and civil rights, the First Amendment and the American Presidency. An expert on the Supreme Court of the United States, Gormley has testified before the U.S. Senate three times and before the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee.
During Gormley’s tenure as dean, Duquesne’s School of Law:
- Ascended to the top-tier of law schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, most recently climbing 23 spots in 2014
- Ranked by The National Jurist at No. 4 for its Best Value Private Law School list
- Veterans Clinic was named among the Top 15 most innovative clinics in the United States by preLaw magazine
- Achieved a first-time taker pass rate of 91.56 percent on the July 2014 Pennsylvania Bar Examination, placing Duquesne third out of 10 Pennsylvania law schools
- Named by The National Jurist as one of only seven private law schools, on the 2015 Best Value Law Schools list.
In addition to his work at the law school, Gormley became president of the Allegheny County Bar Association, making him the first president from academia in the association’s 137-year history. Prior to that, Gormley was twice elected to serve on the bar association’s Board of Governors and also chaired its Legislative Committee for four years.
Gormley is the author of The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr, published by Crown in 2010, and Archibald Cox: Conscience of a Nation, published by Perseus Books in 1997. His work has also appeared in Pennsylvania Lawyer, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Constitutional Daily, Rolling Stone Magazine, the Harvard Law Review and the Stanford Law Review, among many others.
Gormley holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.