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RBG in Rome

Studying the law abroad with RBG

For the second year in a row, students in the School of Law’s Study Law Abroad program at Loyola's John Felice Rome Center in Italy had the extraordinary experience of learning from a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Justices who participate in the program choose the form of their involvement. Last summer, Justice Samuel Alito taught a two-week course in constitutional law as part of the program. This summer, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave three lectures: "A Conversation with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg," moderated by Judge Ann Williams of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals; "Workways of the U.S. Supreme Court"; and “Highlights of the Major Cases of the 2017–18 Court Term.” She will also attend a faculty luncheon as well as a reception and banquet for students, faculty, and Rome Center administrators.

"Anyone who has heard Justice Ginsburg speak can understand the ‘rock star’ appeal of this diminutive giant justice," says Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Jean Gaspardo, who directs Loyola’s Study Law Abroad programs in Rome and China. “She is the icon of the advancement of women’s rights in our times. I had the honor of hosting her when she first lectured in our Rome program in 2009 with her late husband, Marty Ginsburg, and we’re very excited that she could join us in Rome again this summer.”

Now in its 36th year, the Rome program introduces students to comparative and international law. Studying in Rome, the seat of the Italian government and the site of European Union offices, private law firms, banks, and corporations, acquaints students firsthand with the Italian legal system while providing a deeper understanding of American legal culture.

Loyola’s Rome program also welcomed the late Justice Antonin Scalia as a guest lecturer in 2010 and 2015.