Campus News

Former speaker of U.S. House teaches judicial review course at law school this semester

Former speaker of U.S. House teaches judicial review course at law school this semester

Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has joined the School of Law as a Carl E. Sanders Political Leadership Scholar this spring. He is teaching a course on judicial review.

“We are greatly honored and excited to have Newt Gingrich leading a course this semester,” said Rebecca H. White, law school dean. “We strive to offer our students a variety of learning opportunities, and I am confident that studying under the former speaker will help them better understand the interplay of law, politics and policy.”

J. Randolph “Randy” Evans, a frequent lecturer and author on government ethics and politics, is assisting Gingrich with teaching the class.

The Sanders Political Leadership Scholar position is named for Georgia’s 74th governor and Georgia Law alumnus, Carl E. Sanders. It was created so law students could learn from individuals who have distinguished themselves as leaders in politics or other forms of public service.

Gingrich was first elected to ­Congress in 1978, where he served the 6th District of Georgia for
20 years. He served as speaker of the U.S. House from 1995 to 1999. In 1995, he was named Time magazine’s “Man of the Year.”

Today, Gingrich is still involved in shaping public policy. He is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is a member of the Terrorism Task Force for the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Commission on National Security and the Defense Policy Board, and he is an advisory board member of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Gingrich also is an editorial board member of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism and a contributor to Fox News Channel. He is the author of more than 15 books, including his newest release Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less.

A 1983 UGA law school alumnus, Evans is a partner at McKenna Long and Aldridge. He served as counsel to the speakers of the 104th-109th Congresses of the U.S. He has participated and supervised matters on behalf of the Office of the Speaker involving separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches.