MACON, Ga. — Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court of the United States, Clarence Thomas, is set to deliver the keynote address at a dedication for Mercer University's School of Law first-floor courtroom.
The courtroom will be officially renamed for two notable law school alumni -- Griffin Bell (1948) and Frank Jones (1950) at 4 p.m. Monday.
“Both Judge Bell and Frank Jones left a lasting mark on the law and within the legal field,” said Dean Cathy Cox. “I can think of no better way to honor two of our most accomplished alumni, and hope that as students enter the courtroom daily, they will be reminded that these Mercer Law legends have paved the way for them.”
Justice Thomas was born outside of Savannah in 1948 and was nominated to the Supreme Court by late President George H.W. Bush in July 1991 to succeed Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Thomas' confirmation hearings were controversial after allegations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill, an attorney who worked under Thomas at the Department of Education, went public.
He was later confirmed by a 52-48 vote in October 1991.
About Bell & Jones (from Mercer University):
Bell earned a law degree from Mercer in 1948 and an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University in 1967. He is best known for having served as the 72nd Attorney General of the United States under President Jimmy Carter. His appointment followed 14 years of distinguished service as a judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where he was a leading voice in some of the court’s most enduring legal decisions.
Jones was a 1950 graduate of Mercer Law School, coming to Mercer after earning his bachelor’s degree at Emory University in 1947. He served as editor-in-chief of the Mercer Law Review. Following graduation from the University, Jones practiced in Macon until 1977 at the law firm now known as Jones, Cork & Miller, which was founded by his great-grandfather. Jones made partner there before joining King & Spalding in Atlanta, where he served as chairman of the Policy Committee and head of the Litigation Department.
