Free Public Afternoon Presentation in Fort Smith Scheduled for February 2015.
FORT SMITH, Ark. –-(Ammoland.com)- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will headline the first of three Winthrop Paul Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series presentations in Fort Smith, U.S. Marshals Museum officials announced today.
The free and open to the public lecture will be at the ArcBest Performing Arts Center, located in the Fort Smith Convention Center, at 1 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2015.
The three-year series will welcome leaders from the executive, judiciary and legislative branches of the U.S. government to Fort Smith to speak about the U.S. Marshals’ rich history to each branch. Mrs. Lisenne Rockefeller, wife of late Lt. Governor Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, made a grant to the museum in mid-2014 to fund the national lecture series.
“My husband would have been pleased to know that Justice Scalia will launch the inaugural presentation of this national lecture series named in his honor,” said Mrs. Rockefeller. “I look forward to having Justice Scalia in Arkansas to highlight the interwoven history of the judiciary branch and the U.S. Marshals Service.”
Appointed by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1986, Justice Scalia has served as an associate justice for the U.S. Supreme Court for more than 27 years, and is the Court’s longest serving justice. Originally from New Jersey, Justice Scalia earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and his law degree from Harvard Law School. He practiced law in Ohio before joining the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law.
Justice Scalia served in both the Nixon and Ford administrations before moving on to the American Enterprise Institute and a teaching post at the University of Chicago Law School. It was from there that President Reagan first appointed him to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1982 and the U.S. Supreme Court four years later.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia will introduce Justice Scalia. Judge Hudson is a former director of the U.S. Marshals Service under President George H.W. Bush.
Although free, a reservation will be required for admission to the lecture. Seats may be reserved by emailing RSVP@usmarshalsmuseum.com. School groups should contact the museum for details on group reservations. There will be limited seating available, but all efforts will be made to accommodate the public.
From the time of their establishment in 1789 by President George Washington, the marshals and their deputies have enforced the Constitution and federal law and have had more officers killed in the line of duty than any other federal law enforcement agency. One of its core missions is to protect federal judges, prosecutors, court personnel and courthouses. The U.S. Marshals Service occupies a unique role in that it serves all three branches of the federal government.
About the U.S. Marshals Museum
The future U.S. Marshals Museum will be a world-class, national museum located on the banks of the Arkansas River in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Museum plans include 50,000 square feet including three galleries, a Hall of Honor, a national education center and more. The galleries will highlight pivotal periods in U.S. history, while honoring the sacrifice and service of the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service. For more information, visit usmarshalsmuseum.com.