Commencement Speakers

2024: Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

2023: Congressman Adam Schiff

2022: Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, human rights activist, author, and attorney.

2021: Congresswoman Jackie Speier, U.S. House of Representatives, Class of 1976

2020: Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, California Supreme Court

2019: Willie Lewis Brown Jr., Former Mayor of San Francisco

2018: Joseph W. Cotchett, Litigation Trial Lawyers Hall of Famer and UC Law SF Alumnus, Class of 1964

2017: Honorable Jed S. Rakoff, Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

2016: The Honorable Nancy Gertner, Judge, U.S. District Court, Massachusetts

2015: George Takei, Actor, Author and Social Justice Activist

2014: Janet Napolitano, President, University of California

2013: The Honorable Edward J. Davila, Judge, United States District Court, Northern District of California, Class of 1979

2012: Jeff Adachi, The Public Defender of the City and County of San Francisco, Class of 1985

2011: The Honorable Vaughn R. Walker, Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

2010: Assistant Attorney General Tony West, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice

2009: Congresswoman Jackie Speier, U.S. House of Representatives, Class of 1976

2008: The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr., Former Mayor of San Francisco, Class of 1958

2007: The Honorable Carol A. Corrigan, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, Class of 1975

2006: The Honorable Karla M. Gray, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Montana, Class of 1976

2005: The Honorable Kamala D. Harris, District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, Class of 1989

2004: The Honorable Mary Murphy Schroeder, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit

2003: The Honorable Marvin R. Baxter, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California, Class of 1966

2002: The Honorable Ann M. Veneman, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Class of 197

2001: The Honorable Jeffery L. Amestoy, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Vermont, Class of 1972

2000:Sheila James Kuehl, Member, California State Assembly

1999: Joseph W. Cotchett, Cotchett, Pitre & Simon, Burlingame, Class of 1964

1998: The Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, 11^th Circuit

1997: The Honorable Janet F. Reno, Attorney General of the United States

1996: The Honorable Melvin Brunetti, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Class of 1964

1995: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House of Representatives

1994: Congressman Robert T. Matsui, U.S. House of Representatives, Class of 1966

1993: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, U.S. House of Representative

1992: Art Buchwald, Journalist, Author

1991: The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, Former Mayor, City of San Francisco

1990: Justice Joyce L. Kennard, Justice, Supreme Court of California

1989: Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Founder, National Rainbow Coalition

1988: Arthur R. Miller, Bruce Bromley Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

1987: Robert D. Raven, President-Elect, American Bar Association

1986: The Honorable Rose Elizabeth Bird, Chief Justice, California Supreme Court, Class of 1978

1985: Peter V. Ueberroth, Commissioner of Baseball

1984: Eva Jefferson Paterson, Executive Director, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

1983: Robin Williams, Comedian, Actor

1982: The Honorable Joseph R. Grodin, Associate Justice, State of California Court of Appeals

1981: The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr., Speaker of the California State Assembly, Class of 1958

1980: Irving Younger, Samuel S. Leibowitz Professor of Trial Techniques, Cornell Law School

1979: Gene Roddenberry, Creator and Producer of “Star Trek”

1974: Marvin J. Anderson, Chancellor & Dean of UC Law SF College of the Law

1973: The Honorable Alfred P. Murrah, Director of the Federal Judicial Center in Washington D.C., and Senior Judge, United States Court of Appeals

1972: Congressman Paul N. McCloskey, U.S. House of Representatives

1971: Dr. Charles S. Rhyne, President, World Peace Through Law Center, and American Bar Foundation

1970: The Honorable Shirley M. Hufstedler, U.S. Secretary of Education, Justice, United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit

1969: Charles J. Hitch, President, University of California

1968: The Honorable William O. Douglas, Justice, U.S. Supreme Court

1967: Robert B. McKay, Dean, New York University Law Center

1966: Allen F. Smith, Vice-President, University of Michigan1965The Honorable Archibald Cox, Solicitor General of the United State

1964: The Honorable Stanley Mosk, Attorney General of California

1887: The Honorable T.H. Rearden, Justice, California Superior Court

1886: Warren Olney, Attorney and Founder of the Sierra Club

1885: Arthur Rodgers

1881: Samuel M. Wilson