Hon. Betty Roberts '66 is the author of "With Grit and By Grace- Breaking Trails in Politics and Law: A Memoir," which focuses on her rise from a Depression-era childhood on the Texas plains to becoming a teacher, lawyer, state legislator, candidate for governor, and eventually Oregon's first woman Supreme Court Justice.
In the words of Hon. Susan Graber,
"Betty Roberts deserves enormous credit for the progress that Oregon has made. She achieved professional excellence and opened doors for female lawyers in a job setting that historically was closed to them in the judiciary. Among other accomplishments, she was the author of Hewitt v. SAIF, 294 Or. 33, 653 P.2d 970 (1982), which held that a gender classification in the workers' compensation statute violated a provision in the state constitution that requires "equal privileges." Judge Roberts also made a special effort during her years on the bench to educate her colleagues in the use of gender-neutral language, both in writing opinions and in conducting the oral discourse of the court. As the second woman to have served on the Oregon Supreme Court (1990-98), I can attest to the fact that her legacy remained as a positive force on the court long after her own tenure ended.
There are three ways in which Betty Roberts opened doors for women in the judiciary in Oregon. The first is, simply, that she was first: the necessary trailblazer. Second, Judge Roberts was good at what she did, which influenced many doubters. Third, and perhaps most notably, since her retirement Betty Roberts has worked tirelessly to encourage other women to become judges in Oregon. I know that her efforts have been one of the factors resulting in a substantial increase in the number of women serving on the bench in our state."
Panel Members
Deanell Reece Tacha was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in December of 1985, where she currently serves as a federal appellate judge. Judge Tacha served as Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2007. Named a White House Fellow in 1971, she was assigned as special assistant to Secretary of Labor James D. Hodgson. The following year, at the conclusion of her fellowship, she joined the law firm of Hogan & Hartson as an associate in Washington, D.C. Two years later, she returned to Kansas to engage in private practice. In the fall of 1974, she joined the University of Kansas School of Law faculty and in 1981 was elevated to the university position of Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. She is a past chair of the Appellate Judges Conference and a former member of the ABA's Commission on Women in the Profession.
Elizabeth, Cabraser, a founding partner of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, has 30 years experience representing plaintiffs in securities, investment, and consumer fraud; product liability; and human and civil rights litigation. Cabraser received her A.B. in 1975, and her J.D. in 1978, from the University of California at Berkeley. She has written and lectured extensively on federal civil procedure, complex litigation, securities litigation, class action trials and settlements, mass tort litigation, and substantive tort law issues. Her litigation experience includes leadership roles in the FPI/Agretech, Breast Implants, Telectronics, Cordis, Felbatol, Fen-Phen (Diet Drugs), Baycol, Bextra/Celebrex, Guidant, Vioxx, and Vytorin MDLs, and work for smokers, Attorneys General and the Cities and Counties of California in Tobacco Litigation. She has served as court-appointed lead or co-lead counsel in over 80 federal multidistrict proceedings, and has participated in the design, structure and conduct of eight nationwide class action trials in securities fraud, product liability, mass accident and consumer cases in state and federal courts. She has been named repeatedly as one of The National Law Journal's "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America," one of its "50 Most Influential Women Lawyers," and its "Top Ten Women Litigators." She has been annually included in the Daily Journal's "Top 100 Lawyers" since 1998; its 2005-2008 "Top Women Litigators," and its 2005 "Top 30 Securities Litigators."
Donna Brecker Maddux '02 currently serves as the Attorney in Charge of the Organized Crime Section in the Criminal Division of the Oregon Department of Justice. Her section has primary responsibility for investigations and prosecutions of multijurisdictional organized crime cases at the state level, conducts public corruption investigations and prosecutions and provides training and support to law enforcement agencies state-wide. Outside of work engagements, Maddux ran in a contested race for Tualatin City Council in 2006 and is currently half-way through her four-year city council term. She also serves as an appointed commissioner to the Washington County Commission on Children and Families and on the Alumni Board for the Lewis and Clark Law School. In addition to her law degree, Maddux has a Master's degree in Higher Education Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science, both from state schools in Pennsylvania. After completing her master's degree, she served one year in a residential service program as a member of the first class of the AmeriCorps national service program.
Registration Information
Please register by Friday, April 10.
For event questions, contact Libby Davis
at 503-768-6610 or email eadavis@lclark.edu.