Judge Thomas M. Hardiman Slated as Law Commencement Speaker

The Honorable Thomas M. Hardiman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will address the Duquesne University School of Law’s class of 2018 at commencement exercises on Friday, May 25, at 11 a.m. in the A.J. Palumbo Center on campus.

Judge Hardiman
Judge Hardiman

The Student Bar Association recommends the commencement speaker for the law dean’s consideration each year. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Hardiman has served the Third Circuit since 2007. He previously served the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania as a trial judge.

For the last six years, Hardiman has taught Advanced Constitutional Law: Current Issues to upper-level students in the law school. He also created the Robert and Judith Hardiman Scholarship for current or prospective law students, including first-generation law students who demonstrate academic aptitude and financial need. The School of Law named the scholarship for the judge’s parents, who emphasized the importance of education to their five children.

Among his many contributions enriching the Duquesne law community, Hardiman has shared his judicial experiences with students through career programs and panel discussions. In 2013, he directed a wide-ranging conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during a program organized and moderated by Duquesne President Ken Gormley, then law dean at the University. More than 1,200 people attended An Afternoon with Justice Clarence Thomas, which also aired nationally on C-SPAN.

“Judge Hardiman has made extraordinary contributions to the Duquesne law community,” said Law Dean Maureen Lally-Green. “We are greatly honored to have him address the class of 2018 and play a central role in the law school’s 104th law commencement.”

Gormley will confer the degrees during the ceremony.

Hardiman received his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1990 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1987. His remarks addressing the Duquesne Law graduates will be streamed live via a link on the Duquesne Law Commencement 2018 website.