Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg to Deliver 25th Annual Powell Lecture at W&L Law The federal appellate judge will participate in a conversation moderated by W&L Law adjunct professor A. William Mackie.

By Law Communications
October 26, 2026

Washington and Lee University School of Law will welcome Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia as the speaker for the 25th Annual Lewis F. Powell Jr. Distinguished Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 29.

The event will take the form of a conversation moderated by A. William Mackie, adjunct professor of law at W&L. A reception will begin at 5 p.m. in the Moot Court Lobby, followed by the lecture at 5:30 p.m. in the Millhiser Moot Court Room.

Ginsburg was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and served as chief judge from 2001 to 2008. He assumed senior status in 2011. Before joining the federal bench, Ginsburg served as assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as administrator for information and regulatory affairs at the Office of Management and Budget. Earlier in his career, he taught at Harvard Law School and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He is currently a professor of law at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

The Lewis F. Powell Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 2002 by students at Washington and Lee University School of Law to honor Justice Powell ’29A, ’31L, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1972 to 1987. The student-run lecture series brings nationally prominent speakers to campus who embody Powell’s commitment to civility, collegiality, and the thoughtful consideration of competing perspectives.