The Howard and Iris Kaplan Memorial Lecture Series was established in memory of Howard Kaplan, a prominent attorney whose legal career was characterized by uncommon excellence and devotion to the highest standards of the profession. Iris Kaplan, his wife, was an enthusiastic supporter of the lecture series during the remainder of her life. The lecture series is supported by an endowment established by the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., and was initiated by Tony Kaplan, the son of Howard and Iris Kaplan and an alumnus of Hofstra Law School. The goal of the Kaplan Lecture Series is to bring jurists of distinction and prominence to the Law School to address students, faculty, alumni and the legal community on important and timely legal issues.

Each entry below includes a complete video recording of the lecture and, when possible, the full text of the published paper related to the presentation.

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Lectures from 2024

 

Implicit Bias, Structural Bias, and Implications for Law and Policy, Goodwin Liu

Lectures from 2023

 

The Province of the Law: Foundations and Limits of Legal Interpretation, Neomi Rao

Lectures from 2022

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Foreign Law in Federal Courts: Challenges for the Twenty-First Century, William J. Nardini

Lectures from 2018

 

For Decency's Sake: Common Sense & Criminal Justice, Raymond J. Dearie

Lectures from 2017

 

Back to the Future: Where is the Free Speech on Campus?, Loretta A. Preska

Lectures from 2014

 

Demographic Changes in the Legal Profession: Does Diversity Impact Decision Making and the Rule of Law?, Jenny Rivera

Lectures from 2012

 

A View From the Bench: A Conversation With Judge Denny Chin, Denny Chin

Lectures from 2011

 

Reflections on Understanding, Implementing and Evaluating Federal Sentencing Under Advisory Guidelines, Gerard E. Lynch

Lectures from 2010

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How One State Reduced Both Crime and Incarceration, Jonathan Lippman

Lectures from 2008

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The Sentencing Commission and Prosecutorial Discretion: The Role of the Courts in Policing Sentence Bargains, John Gleeson

Lectures from 2007

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Judges as Umpires: Subjective Limitations on Objective Decision Making, Theodore A. McKee

Lectures from 2006

 

How Judges Do and Don't Make Law Under the Constitution, Pierre N. Leval

Lectures from 2005

 

Voting: The Challenge to Democracy, George Bundy Smith

Lectures from 2004

 

The Tenth Anniversary of South Africa's Constitutional Court, Richard J. Goldstone

Lectures from 2003

 

Federal Sentencing Reform, Jon O. Newman

Lectures from 2001

 

The Ownership of Professional Sports Leagues as a Business Law Problem, Ralph K. Winter

Lectures from 1999

 

Things Judges Say, Alex Kozinski

Lectures from 1997

 

An Introduction to Law: Four Approaches to the Allocation of Body Parts, Guido Calabresi

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If Courts Are Open, Must Cameras Follow?, Dolores K. Sloviter

Lectures from 1996

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All the World's a Courtroom: Judging in the New Millennium, Shirley S. Abrahamson

Lectures from 1993

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Trial By Jury: The Constitutional Right to a Jury of Twelve in Civil Trials, Richard S. Arnold

 

What do you mean by "policy," counsel?, Hans Linde

Lectures from 1991

 

Fall 1991 Kaplan Memorial Lecture, Antonin Scalia

Lectures from 1989

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Reflections on Reform of § 2254 Habeas Petitions, Patrick E. Higginbotham

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Copyrights and Copyremedies: Unfair Use and Injunctions, James L. Oakes

Lectures from 1988

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The Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the Key Compromises Upon Which They Rest, Stephen Breyer

Lectures from 1986

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Unique Customs and Practices of the Second Circuit, Wilfred Feinberg