A Message of Thanks to the King Hall Community

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, we near the end of a most challenging semester for the global community. Events in the Middle East have horrified us all, and directly affected members of the King Hall community. UC President Michael Drake and chancellors for all the UC campuses issued a statement condemning acts of bigotry, intolerance and intimidation. I was pleased to join Chancellor Gary May and other campus leaders in a video reaffirming our commitment to the UC Davis Principles of Community, which embrace treating each other with dignity and respect.

We have much for which to be thankful. We should take pride in the recent naming of courthouses after the late Justice (and King Hall Professor) Cruz Reynoso and retired Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye ’84. At a dinner a few weeks back, the Yolo Unity Bar Association honored our Black Law Students Association for its amazing work. The Native American Law Students Association and the new Advanced Legal Scholars Association (LL.M. students) just completed their informative and inspirational “culture weeks.” Professor in Practice Rick Frank received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Section.

There are many more wonderful events coming up. Here are a few:

Commencement Speaker: UC Berkeley Law Professor Khiara Bridges will deliver the keynote at our Class of 2024 commencement on May 10, 2024.  A leading scholar on race, class, and reproductive rights, Professor Bridges addressed the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee shortly after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Celebration (Jan. 15, 2024): Presented by the Black Law Students Association, Dean’s Office and Office of Student Affairs, this annual MLK holiday event offers students, faculty, staff and alumni opportunities to serve the community.

Racial Justice Speaker Series: Penn Law’s Jasmine Harris recently spoke in the groundbreaking Racial Justice Speaker Series on race and disability. The series enters its fifth year on Jan. 22 with a talk by El/La Para TransLatinas Executive Director Nicole Santamaría.

Celebrating King Hall: On March 7, we will recognize the 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award winner, introduce a new staff award, and celebrate student scholarship recipients. We are working on securing a special celebrity DJ for the celebration.

Join us at King Hall’s Taco Tailgate tomorrow before the UC Davis-Sacramento State “Causeway Classic” football game. Tacos and tickets are available. If you prefer musical talent, King Hall’s a cappella group, Law Cappella, will present an open mic event at noon on Monday in the law school courtyard.

Have a happy break. Best of luck with the rest of the semester.

Kevin R. Johnson
Dean