but in those days, erwin griswold was one of the few. and he spoke highly of jones day and urged me to go there because he was a clevelander originally. anyway, enough about dean griswold, as i always called him. let me say a few words about today's recipient of the erwin griswold prize lecture award. professor kevin mcmahon is the john mack meier professor of political science at trinity college. he got his ba in political science at trinity college. he got his ba in new york and his phd and politics from brandeis. his publications include "reconsidering roosevelt on race: how the presidency paid -- paved the road to brown," published by the university of chicago press in that was the 2004. winner of the american political science association award for the best book on the american presidency published in 2004. his latest book, which will be the subject of his remarks this evening is "nixon's court: his challenge to judicial liberalism and its political consequence." it was published again by the university of chicago press. i could cont

president nixon's first solicitor general as we heard earlier was erwin griswold. i suggest this appointment was highly significant. after all griswold has served in the same post during the johnson administration. in keeping his predecessor's solicitor general, an unprecedented event in the history of that office, nixon signaled that his administration's litigation strategy would be more about taming warren liberalism then igniting a counterrevolution. to be sure, in his second term, with employment of robert bork as solicitor general, nixon suggested he would pursue a more aggressive litigation strategy. but here i focus on the first term. consider six major cases. six major cases. i focus more on their political significance. that were argued during the president's first four years. roe versus wade. cohen v. california, dealing with profanity. dandridge versus williams dealing with welfare. san antonio versus rodriguez, school finance and the right of education. feermanrman v. georgia, a death penalty case. in each case, the nixon administration chose not to file

erwin griswold was surely one of the most remarkable lawyers of the last century.

on the selection committee for the griswold prize and i am pleased to welcome you to the 2015 erwin griswold prize lecture. before we proceed, giving the profoundest, -- given the surroundings i have to ask , everyone to make sure your cell phones, smart phones, tablets are turned off. they tell me if you do not do that the sound system may not