Professor Ron Lansing (1932-2021)
We note with sadness and respect that Lewis & Clark College Law Emeritus Professor and USDCHS 2016 Lifetime Service Award recipient passed away on May 28, 2021. Professor Lansing taught at Lewis & Clark Law School 1967-2008, focusing on Torts and Evidence. Former USDCHS board member Stephen Raher notes, “I had many outstanding teachers in law school, but Prof. Lansing was unique in that he lived and breathed a commitment to the entire intellectual and pedagogical experience of law school as an institution. In some ways he embodied Lewis & Clark Law School more than any other faculty member—it is no coincidence that he carried the ceremonial mace at every…
Billy J. Williams: A U.S. Attorney’s Tenure Like No Other
By Scott Bradford During the early weeks of March 2015, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams received a phone call from Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General during the majority of President Barack Obama’s administration. The incumbent U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Amanda Marshall had decided to step away from her duties. Attorney General Holder said to Williams, “You’re now the U.S. Attorney.” As Acting (and later the Senate-confirmed) U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Williams faced unprecedented challenges, starting with the need to right and steady an office roiled by U.S. Attorney Marshall’s resignation. It is likely not a path Williams thought about for himself when…