Mercer University School of Law (historically Walter F. George School of Law) is the professional

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

. Founded in 1873, it is one of the oldest law schools in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

; the first law school accredited by the bar in Georgia, and the second oldest of Mercer's 12 colleges and schools. The School of Law has approximately 440 students and is located in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

on its own campus one mile (1.6 km) from Mercer's main campus. The law school building, one of Macon's most recognizable sites, is a three-story partial replica of

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and is located on Coleman Hill overlooking downtown Macon. According to Mercer's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 72% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.

Dean of the School

Karen Sneddon began as Interim Dean on October 1, 2021. She was preceded by Cathy Cox. Cathy Cox became dean in 2017. She was previously president of

Young Harris College Young Harris College is a private Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college in Young Harris, Georgia, United States. History Origins The school was founded in 1886 by Artemas Lester, a circuit-riding Methodist minister who wanted to ...

. Cox is an alumnus of Mercer University School of Law, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, served two terms as Georgia's secretary of state, 1999-2007, and is currently president of

Georgia College & State University Georgia College & State University (Georgia College or GC) is a public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia. The university enrolls approximately 7,000 students and is a member of the University System of Georgia and the Council ...

. Her predecessor was Daisy Hurst Floyd who had been reappointed as dean in 2014. She assumed responsibility from Gary J. Simson, dean from 2010–14, who was elevated by Mercer to a university-wide position as senior vice provost for scholarship. Floyd previously served as dean from 2004–10 and is a senior member of the law school faculty.

Walter F. George

The School of Law is named for

Walter F. George Walter Franklin George (January 29, 1878 – August 4, 1957) was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He was a longtime Democratic United States Senator from 1922 to 1957 and was President pro tempore of the United States Sen ...

, Mercer Law class of 1901, who served as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

from 1922–57 and as President ''pro tempore'' from 1955-57. Before election to the Senate, he served as a Judge of the

Georgia Court of Appeals The Georgia Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the U.S. state of Georgia. History Founding of the court The genesis of the Court of Appeals began with a report by the State Bar of Georgia in 1895, suggesting that the G ...

in 1917 and as a Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court from 1917-22. Mercer named its law school the Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University in 1947. Fred M. Vinson, Chief Justice of the United States, participated in the naming ceremony. The Walter F. George Foundation, created when the school was named, continues to fund scholarships for Mercer law students who have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in public service. Walter F. George Foundation Public Service Scholarships cover full tuition for three years of law school along with community service grants for first-year and second-year summer public service internships.

Centennial

The School of Law celebrated its

centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

in 1973. The principal event occurred on November 18, 1973; participants included

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

and

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

and future President of the United States. In his speech, President Nixon announced the nation's third

Nimitz-class The ''Nimitz'' class is a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy. The lead ship of the class is named after World War II United States Pacific Fleet commander Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, w ...

nuclear aircraft carrier would be named in honor of

Carl Vinson Carl Vinson (November 18, 1883 – June 1, 1981) was an American politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for over 50 years and was influential in the 20th century expansion of the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the Democratic ...

, Mercer Law class of 1902. Vinson, who was present at the event, was the first member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

to serve for more than 50 years (he served 1914-65), and was the long-time chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Also present were Secretary of Defense

Melvin Laird Melvin Robert Laird Jr. (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician, writer and statesman. He was a U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. congressman from Wisconsin from 1953 to 1969 before serving as United States Secret ...

and

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

John Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 200 ...

Accreditation and rankings

The School of Law has been a member of the

Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non ...

since 1923 and has been fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1925. It is the first law school to be ABA accredited in the state of Georgia. In the 2022 edition of its law school rankings, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Mercer 128th of the 200 ABA approved law schools. The same edition ranked Mercer's

legal writing Legal writing involves the analysis of fact patterns and presentation of arguments in documents such as legal memoranda and briefs. One form of legal writing involves drafting a balanced analysis of a legal problem or issue. Another form of legal ...

program third in the nation. The legal writing program has been ranked in the top three since ''US News & World Report'' began the speciality ranking in 2006. The ''

Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...

'' includes Mercer in the 2021 edition of its "Best Law Schools";

Statistics

The School of Law enrolls approximately 390 students and has a faculty of approximately 30 full-time professors and 30 adjunct professors. The following degrees are offered:

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

(JD), a joint

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

(JD/MBA) in conjunction with Mercer's Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, and a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

(LLM) in Federal Criminal Practice and Procedure, which is the nation's only LLM program with this subject matter focus. The school publishes the ''Mercer Law Review'', the oldest law review in Georgia (founded in 1949), and the ''Journal of Southern Legal History''. The School of Law's model curriculum, the Woodruff Curriculum, named for philanthropist

George W. Woodruff George Waldo Woodruff (August 27, 1895 – February 4, 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia) was an engineer, businessman, and philanthropist in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1917 and gave generously to both his ...

, is viewed as a model for law schools across the United States. The curriculum, based on small classes and a practice oriented approach, focuses on

legal ethics Legal ethics are principles of conduct that members of the legal profession are expected to observe in their practice. They are an outgrowth of the development of the legal profession itself. In the United States In the U.S., each state or territ ...

professional responsibility Professional responsibility is a set of duties within the concept of professional ethics for those who exercise a unique set of knowledge and skill as professionals. Professional responsibility applies to those professionals making judgments, a ...

, and

and has been honored with the prestigious Gambrell Professionalism Award from the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

. The School of Law houses the Mercer Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, established in 2000 and dedicated to fostering and teaching ethics and professionalism in the practice of law, and the National Criminal Defense College, a not-for-profit organization established in 1985 and devoted to improved trial advocacy and trial practice.

Law Library

The Furman Smith Law Library, named for Furman Smith, Mercer Law class of 1932, is the school's center of legal research. A premier facility, the library is used by lawyers and judges from across the state and recognized for its superior resources and service. The library occupies over in a central location on the second and third floors of the law school building. Large windows in the library provide students with views of historic Macon from the law building's location on Coleman Hill.

Employment

According to Mercer's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 72% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Mercer's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 19.2%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2020 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Mercer for the 2013-2014 academic year is $57,800. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $214,493.

Notable alumni

Image:Nathan Deal, official 110th Congress photo.jpg,

Nathan Deal John Nathan Deal (born August 25, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party in 1992 a ...

'66, elected in 2010, was the

. 2011-19 File:DougBarnardJr.jpg, Doug Barnard, Jr. '48,

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, 1977-93. Image:Bell-gb.png,

Griffin Bell Griffin Boyette Bell (October 31, 1918 – January 5, 2009) was the 72nd Attorney General of the United States, having served under President Jimmy Carter. Previously, he was a U.S. circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fift ...

'48,

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

, 1977-79. Image:G. Harrold Carswell.jpg,

G. Harrold Carswell George Harrold Carswell (December 22, 1919 – July 13, 1992) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern Di ...

'48, Judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * M ...

and unsuccessful nominee to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, 1970. File:EdwardECox.jpg, Edward E. Cox '02,

, 1925-52. File:Erick Erickson by Gage Skidmore.jpg,

Erick Erickson Erick Woods Erickson (born June 3, 1975) is a conservative American radio host and blogger. He hosts a three-hour weekday talk show on WSB 95.5 FM and 750 AM in Atlanta, which is syndicated to other radio stations around the U.S. He also write ...

'00,

political commentator A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

for

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

and

RedState ''RedState'' is an American conservative political blog. Prior to 2017, it organized "RedState gatherings", a summer convention for conservative activists and grassroots political activism which featured many prominent public figures in conserv ...

. File:Nancy Grace.PNG,

Nancy Grace Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal commentator and television journalist. She hosted ''Nancy Grace'', a nightly celebrity news and current affairs show on HLN, from 2005 to 2016, and Court TV's ''Closing Arguments' ...

'84,

and the host of her own show on

Headline News HLN is an American basic cable network. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the network primarily carries true crime programming. The channel was originally launched on January 1, 1982 by Turner Broadcasting as CNN2 (later renamed Headline News ...

. File:John Oxendine Headshot.jpg,

John Oxendine John W. Oxendine (born April 30, 1962) is an American politician who served four terms as Insurance Commissioner of the U.S. state of Georgia. A member of the Republican party, he was first elected commissioner in 1994 and was reelected in 19 ...

'87, Georgia Insurance Commissioner, 1995-11. File:Carl Vinson 1943 Portrait.jpg,

'02,

, 1914–65; the first person to serve more than 50 years in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and namesake of the USS ''Carl Vinson'', a nuclear-powered

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

. File:West 4910525640 7ee487fd15 o.jpg, William S. West 1876,

for the year 1914 (appointed for one year to fill an unexpired term); instrumental in the founding of

Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia. It is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. , VSU had over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VSU a ...

. File:James_Mark_Wilcox.jpg, J. Mark Wilcox '10,

, 1933–39; namesake of Miami International Airport Wilcox Field. File:Lin Wood by Gage Skidmore.jpg,

L. Lin Wood Lucian Lincoln "Lin" Wood Jr. (born October 19, 1952) is an American attorney and conspiracy theorist. Following his graduation from law school in 1977, Wood worked as a personal injury lawyer, focusing on medical malpractice litigation. He b ...

'77, high-profile attorney who has represented

Richard Jewell Richard Allensworth Jewell (born Richard White; December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was an American security guard and law enforcement officer who alerted police during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlant ...

, the parents of JonBenét Ramsey,

Gary Condit Gary Adrian Condit (born April 21, 1948) is an American former politician who represented California's 18th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003. He gained significant national attention for an extramarital af ...

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

, and

Herman Cain Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist within the Republican Party. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Cain grew up in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's d ...

. Mercer alumni recently headed two of Georgia's three branches of government:

'66, was the

, 2011–2019;

Hugh P. Thompson Hugh Proctor Thompson (born July 7, 1943) is the former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. He was originally appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Zell Miller on March 1, 1994. Thompson is a graduate of the Walter F. George School o ...

'69, was the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, 2013–16. In the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

, Judson H. Hill, Sr. '86, served until 2017 as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; William T. Ligon, Jr. '86, served as Chairman of the Senate State and Local Governmental Operations Committee. M. Yvette Miller '80, Sara L. Doyle '94, and Michael P. Boggs '90 are judges of the

Judiciary

- Federal Appeals Court Judge, 1962–76; 72nd

, 1977-79 *

Michael P. Boggs Michael P. Boggs (born December 28, 1962) is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state), Supreme Court of Georgia, a former judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals and a former nominee to be a United States federal judge, United ...

- Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 2012–17; Associate Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 2017–22; Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 2022–present * William Augustus Bootle - Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1954–81; ordered admission of the first African-American to the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, 1961; namesake of the

William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and United States Courthouse The William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, also and formerly known as Old U.S. Post Office and Federal Building, is a courthouse in Macon, Georgia of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Comple ...

in Macon *

- Judge, Federal District Court for the Northern District of Florida, 1958–69; Judge,

, 1969–70; unsuccessful nominee to the

, 1970 * Abraham Benjamin Conger - Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1949–53 * Bascom Sine Deaver - Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1928–44 *

Albert John Henderson Albert John Henderson (December 12, 1920 – May 11, 1999) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and earlier was a United State ...

- Federal Appeals Court Judge, 1979–99; Judge, Federal District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1968–79 * Richard Henry Mills - Judge, Federal District Court for the Central District of Illinois, 1985–present * Carlton Mobley - Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1972–74; Associate Justice, 1954-72;

, Georgia's 6th Congressional District, 1932–33 * Willie Louis Sands - Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1994–present; the first African-American to serve on the court * Marc Treadwell - Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 2010–present *

Julian Webb Thomas Julian Webb (October 2, 1911 – October 29, 2002) was a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1974. He was also a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals from 1974 to 1979. Early life Webb was born in Byromville, Georgia in Doo ...

- Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1974-1979, and member of the

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia ...

, 1963-1974 * Charles W. Worrill - Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1953–1954"Worrill Gets Post in Top State Court", ''The Atlanta Constitution'' (October 5, 1953), p. 1.

Politics

* Doug Barnard -

, Georgia's 10th Congressional district, 1977–93 *

William Bradley Bryant William Bradley "Brad" Bryant was appointed superintendent of public schools for the U.S. state of Georgia by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2010, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Kathy Cox. He considered a bid to run for superintendent as ...

- Georgia Superintendent of Schools, 2010–11 * Cathy Cox - Georgia Secretary of State, 1999-07, the first woman elected to this position; President,

, 2007–present * Edward E. Cox - United States Representative, Georgia's 2nd Congressional district, 1925–52 *

- United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1993-10;

, 2011-19 *

Peter Zack Geer Peter Zack Geer (August 24, 1928 – January 5, 1997) was an American lawyer and a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. Geer was born in Colquitt in Miller County in southwestern Georgia. In 1951 he graduated from the Wal ...

- Georgia Lieutenant Governor, 1963–67 *

from Georgia, 1922–57, served as President ''pro tempore'', 1955–57; namesake of Mercer's Law School * Buck Melton -

Mayor of Macon, Georgia The Mayor of Macon-Bibb County is the highest elected official in the consolidated city-county government of Macon and Bibb County, Georgia. The county was established in 1822, while the city was incorporated in 1823. Heads of the city were know ...

, 1975-79 *

Michael Meyer von Bremen Michael S. Meyer von Bremen, is an attorney and Democratic politician from the state of Georgia, United States. He resides in Albany, Georgia. Early life and education Born on August 19, 1957, Meyer von Bremen attended public schools in Albany ...

- Georgia State Senator, 1999-09; served as the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Senate Minority Leader, 2002–09 *

- Georgia Insurance Commissioner, 1995-11 * Robert Reichert - Mayor of Macon and former member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

, 2007–present *

Dwight L. Rogers Dwight Laing Rogers (August 17, 1886 – December 1, 1954) was a U.S. Representative from Florida. Born near Reidsville, Georgia, Rogers attended the public schools and Locust Grove Institute at Locust Grove, Georgia. He graduated from the U ...

- United States Representative, Florida's 6th Congressional district, 1945–54 * Christopher N. Smith - Honorary

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

of the

Kingdom of Denmark The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of Denmark, metropolitan ...

Malcolm C. Tarver Malcolm Connor Tarver (September 25, 1885 – March 5, 1960) was a U.S. Representative from Georgia. Born in Rural Vale, Georgia, Tarver attended the public schools. He was graduated from the law department of Mercer University, Macon, ...

- United States Representative, Georgia's 7th Congressional district, 1927–47 *

- United States Representative for over 50 years, 1914–65; long-time Chairman,

House Armed Services Committee The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of Defe ...

; has been called the "patriarch of the armed services" and the "father of the two-ocean navy"; namesake of the USS ''Carl Vinson'' * William S. West - United States Senator from Georgia for the year 1914 (appointment to fill unexpired term); instrumental in the founding of

* J. Mark Wilcox - United States Representative, Florida's 4th Congressional district, 1933–39 * John S. Wood - United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1931–35 and 1945–53; Chairman,

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

, 1949–53

Arts, media, and non-government public service

* Glen Ashman - author of the Georgia Municipal Court Judges Benchbook * Steve Berry - author of six novels including several ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' bestsellers *

Brainerd Currie Brainerd Currie (20 December 1912 – 7 September 1965) was a law professor noted for his work in conflict of laws and his creation of the concept of the governmental interests analysis. He was the father of law professor David P. Currie. Curr ...

- law professor; noted

conflict of laws Conflict of laws (also called private international law) is the set of rules or laws a jurisdiction applies to a case, transaction, or other occurrence that has connections to more than one jurisdiction. This body of law deals with three broad t ...

scholar who developed the

characterisation Characterization or characterisation is the representation of persons (or other beings or creatures) in narrative and dramatic works. The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym. This representation may include direct methods ...

concept of ''governmental interest analysis'' *

- anchor for

Court TV Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former cable television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news cove ...

, legal commentator, and host of ''

'' on the

television network *

Jay Sekulow Jay Alan Sekulow (; born June 10, 1956) is an American lawyer, radio, television talk show host and politically conservative media personality. He has been chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) since 1991. As a member of Pr ...

- Chief Counsel,

American Center for Law and Justice The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) is a politically conservative, Christian-based legal organization in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and associated with Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, V ...

- high profile trial attorney; has represented

, the parents of JonBenét Ramsey,

, and

File:GA-Macon 1908 1 Ref.jpg,

in Macon. Judge "Gus" Bootle '25, served as Judge of the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia from 1954–81 and ordered

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

of the

in 1961. The building was named in his honor in 1998. File:Maconbibbcourthouse.jpg, J. Taylor Phillips Bibb County Courthouse in Macon. Judge Phillips '55, served as State Court judge from 1964-12 and earlier served in the

(1959–62) and

(1963-64). The building was named in his honor in 2012. File:Homer and Ruth Drake Field House.jpg, Homer and Ruth Drake Field House at Mercer University Stadium. Judge Drake '56, is a Senior Bankruptcy Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1979–present. He was chairman of the

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

, 2008-10. The building was named in honor of Judge Drake and his spouse in 2012. File:US Navy 120120-N-GZ832-328 The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) is underway in the Arabian Sea.jpg, USS ''Carl Vinson'', a nuclear-powered

. Congressman

'02, was the first person to serve more than 50 years in the

, 1914-65. The ship was named in his honor in 1973. File:Miami International FH020001.jpg, Miami International Airport Wilcox Field. Congressman J. Mark Wilcox '10, served in the

, 1933–39 and later served as Attorney General of the Dade County Port Authority/Greater

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Traffic Association (1945–56). The airport was named in his honor in 1959. File:WalterGeorgeLockandDam.jpg,

Walter F. George Lake The Walter F. George Lake, named for Walter F. George (1878–1957), a United States senator from Georgia, is formed on the Chattahoochee River along the state line between Alabama and Georgia. It is also widely known by the name, Lake Eufaula – ...

located on the border between

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. Senator

'01, served in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, 1922–57 and is the namesake of Mercer Law School. The lake was named in his honor in 1958.

References

External links

Mercer University School of Law
{{authority control Law schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Mercer University