Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to deliver 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law鈥檚 2018 Commencement Address, May 18
草榴社区, Pa. 鈥 Mark C. Alexander, Arthur J. Kania Dean of 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law, announced that Judge Joseph A. Greenaway of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will address the Class of 2018 as the School鈥檚 commencement speaker and will also receive the 草榴社区 Law Medallion Award in recognition of his achievements. Commencement will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 18, 2018, on The Campus Green on the campus of 草榴社区.
Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. received his commission from President Obama as the sixty-second jurist appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on February 12, 2010. Judge Greenaway was sworn in on February 24, 2010, and sits in Newark, New Jersey. He earned his BA in History from Columbia College in 1978 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1981.
Judge Greenaway鈥檚 legal career began as a litigation associate with the New York law firm of Kramer, Levin, Nessen, Kamin and Frankel. After a clerkship with the late Hon. Vincent L. Broderick of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, he returned to the Kramer, Levin firm for two years. In 1985, Judge Greenaway joined the United States Attorney鈥檚 Office for the District of New Jersey, where he was subsequently promoted to Chief of the Narcotics Bureau. He prosecuted the government鈥檚 case against Wayne Pray, a.k.a. 鈥淎kbar,鈥 which resulted in Akbar being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, he served as in-house counsel for Johnson & Johnson. On July 26, 1996, at the age of thirty-eight, Judge Greenaway received his commission from President Clinton as the sixty-seventh jurist appointed to the federal bench in New Jersey. He was sworn in as a federal judge on September 20, 1996.
Judge Greenaway is a member of the Columbia University Board of Trustees, a former member of the Columbia College Board of Visitors, Chair Emeritus of the Columbia College Black Alumni Council and a former secretary of the Columbia College Alumni Association. Judge Greenaway is a member of the American, National and Garden State Bar Associations. He has served as an adjunct professor at Rutgers School of Law鈥擭ewark; Columbia College, where he taught a seminar on the Supreme Court; and Cardozo School of Law, where he currently teaches courses on trial practice and appellate advocacy.
Judge Greenaway is the recipient of numerous honors including the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association鈥檚 Distinguished Service Award (1996); Columbia University鈥檚 Medal of Excellence (1997) and Alumni Medal (2014); the Garden State Bar Association鈥檚 Distinguished Jurist Award (1999); Columbia College鈥檚 John Jay Award (2003); the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award of Excellence (2007); the Garden State Bar Association鈥檚 Roger M. Yancey Award (2007); the Caribbean Bar Association of New Jersey鈥檚 Scales of Justice Award of Excellence (2010); YMWCA of Newark鈥檚 Leaders and Legends Award; the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association鈥檚 Trailblazer Award (2011); and the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey鈥檚 William J. Brennan, Jr. Award (2015). Judge Greenaway received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Suffolk University in 2013. His alma mater, the Bronx High School of Science, inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2018.
A frequent invited speaker, Judge Greenaway delivered the Class Day address at Columbia College鈥檚 commencement in 1998; the commencement address at Cardozo School of Law in 2006; and Rutgers Law School鈥檚 Weintraub Lecture in 1998, which was subsequently published in Rutgers Law Review. His work has also been published in leading journals, including Litigation, Columbia Journal of Race and Law and Cardozo Law Review.
About 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law: Founded in 1953, the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law provides broad-based legal education that is grounded in academic rigor, practical hands-on training and a foundation in business that prepares graduates for diverse and rewarding legal careers. The Law School, which is accredited by the American Bar Association, offers six in-house clinics and more than 150 externship opportunities that immerse students in the real-world application of their legal skills. 草榴社区 is home to Centers of Excellence鈥攖he Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy; the David F. and Constance B. Girard-diCarlo Center for Ethics, Integrity and Compliance; the John F. Scarpa Center for Law and Entrepreneurship; and the Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law鈥攚hich provide students the opportunity to pursue innovative, interdisciplinary legal fields through study, practical experience and mentorship.
About 草榴社区: Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥 intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit .