U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Georgia native Clarence Thomas will give keynote remarks at a Mercer University School of Law event to dedicate a courtroom in honor of alumni Griffin Bell (class of 1948) and Frank Jones (1950) on March 11.
The event is private and all seating is spoken for. A live video stream to an overflow room will be available for faculty and staff members, students, alumni and local judges and attorneys.
“We are honored to have Supreme Court Justice Thomas serve as the keynote speaker for the courtroom dedication ceremony,” Dean Cathy Cox said in a statement. “Both Judge Bell and Frank Jones left a lasting mark on the law and within the legal field. 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.”
Thomas, appointed by the late President George H.W. Bush, has served on the nation’s high court since 1991. The Yale Law School was born in tiny Pinpoint, a community outside Savannah.
Bell, who was attorney general during President Jimmy Carter’s administration, earned a law degree from Mercer in 1948. The university conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1967.
Jones came to Mercer Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Mercer Law Review, after earning his bachelor’s degree at Emory University in 1947. He practiced in Macon until 1977 at the law firm, founded by his great-grandfather, now known as Jones, Cork & Miller. He later practiced at King & Spalding in Atlanta, where he served as chairman of the Policy Committee and head of the Litigation Department.
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