KU News Release

Robert Levy

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More Information

• School of Law

LAWRENCE — An internationally known author, pundit and architect of the Supreme Court case that overturned Washington’s ban on handguns will speak next week at the University of Kansas School of Law.

Robert A. Levy will talk about his most recent book, “The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom,” at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Stinson Morrison Hecker Lecture Hall in 104 Green Hall. The event is free and open to the public; lunch will be provided.

Levy is chairman of the board and senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute, a nonprofit public policy research foundation in Washington, D.C. He holds a doctorate in business from American University and a law degree from the George Mason University School of Law. Levy began his business career by founding CDA Investment Technologies, a financial research firm known for its pioneering early financial databases and the strong performance of its mutual funds.

More recently, Levy made legal headlines by developing, financing and serving as co-counsel on a test case that challenged the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns. That case, District of Columbia v. Heller, led to a watershed ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that individuals have a right to possess handguns for their personal use. Levy characterized the case as “opening salvo in a series of litigations that will ultimately resolve what weapons and persons can be regulated and what restrictions are permissible” and said that after the Heller decision, “the prospects for reviving the original meaning of the Second Amendment are now substantially brighter.”

Levy’s writings have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Washington Post and the National Review, among other publications. He has also been a featured guest on national radio and television programs including “Nightline,” “Crossfire,” “The O’Reilly Factor,” “Hardball” and “The Today Show.”

“A lot of students should be very excited by Mr. Levy’s visit,” said Blake Hardwick, chief of staff for the KU chapter of the Federalist Society. “Mr. Levy is not only an incredible legal scholar, but he has also been at the forefront of defending and defining civil liberties in the United States.”

The event is co-sponsored by the KU chapter of the Federalist Society and the KU School of Law.