Rambo Reception | DACA Supreme Court Lawyer Visit
[Community is where it’s at:
(1) Judge Sylvia Rambo Memorial Service Reception
(2) Immigration Attorney Luis Cortez Romero at Penn State Dickinson Law]
The start of the year has been filled with meaningful moments for the Dickinson Law community.
Here are two:
1. We hosted a reception in honor of Judge Sylvia Rambo (JD ’62), whose memorial service occurred earlier that day. President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Rambo as the first woman to the federal bench in Pennsylvania’s Middle District, which covers 33 counties in the central and northeastern parts of the state. She also served as the first female chief judge of the court from 1992 to 1999.
In April 2021, then-Pennsylvania United States Senators Bob Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey jointly introduced legislation naming the new federal courthouse, then under construction, for Judge Rambo. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law. In 2022, Judge Rambo became one of a handful of women in US history to have an American federal courthouse named in her honor.
It was a privilege to gather with family, alumni, friends, and colleagues to honor a trailblazer and inspiration and celebrate her legacy. Judge Rambo’s contributions to the legal profession and her groundbreaking achievements will continue to inspire future generations.
2. I also enjoyed meeting Luis Cortes Romero, who spoke to our community about his work on immigrant rights. It was good to see faculty colleagues and students at the luncheon, where Attorney Romero took wide-ranging questions and candidly shared his experience working in the field.
A PBS documentary, “From Here/From There” (De Aquí /De Allá), charts the fascinating journey of the first undocumented lawyer to argue before the US Supreme Court. As one article noted, “The argument advanced by his team — that DACA should not be arbitrarily struck down because so many grantees, businesses and communities had come to rely on it — resonated with the court. This “reliance interest” was cited by Chief Justice John Roberts in his majority opinion in June 2020 keeping the program in place.”
Attorney Romero visited under the auspices of the law school’s Race and Equal Protection of the Law program.
These events were a powerful reminder of the impact that one person’s dedication and vision can have. Thank you to everyone who made these moments possible. Community is where it’s at.
Read more about Judge Rambo and Attorney Romero here:
