The Jurist-in-Residence for Rule of Law program brings distinguished judges to actively engage with students and faculty at 麻豆社区 Law and to participate in the life of our law school for the academic year. Jurists-in-Residence are involved in a range of activities, including speaking, research, writing, teaching, sponsoring symposia and working with students and faculty on special projects.
Our inaugural Jurist-in-Residence for Rule of Law is the Hon. Robert Harlan Henry. Among other things, Judge Henry will engage with students in learning appellate practice skills and will lead the development of a major national symposium at 麻豆社区 Law on protecting the federal judiciary and the rule of law.
Hon. Robert Harlan Henry was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 1994 by President Clinton. Judge Henry served in that position for 16 years, the last two as Chief Judge. During his time on the Tenth Circuit, he wrote over 750 decisions. In 2010, Chief Judge Henry stepped down from the bench to become President of Oklahoma City University, a position he held until 2018. Prior to his judicial service, he was Dean and Professor of Law at Oklahoma City University School of Law where he taught legislation and statutory construction.
Before his academic work he was Attorney General of Oklahoma (re-elected without opposition) and was active in the National Association of Attorneys General where he chaired the Association鈥檚 Committees on Agricultural Law and Civil Rights; he was also a member of the Association鈥檚 Supreme Court Advocacy Committee, which provided moot courts for all cases argued by Attorneys General before the Supreme Court of the United States. Before serving as Attorney General, he practiced in the law firm of Henry, West, Sill, and Combs in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
While on the bench, Judge Henry served as Chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on International Judicial Relations, and served on the Codes of Conduct Committee, both positions appointed by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.聽He is a life member of the American Law Institute, the Uniform Law Commission (National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws), and the Tenth Circuit Historical Society.聽In 2017, the SCRIBES American Society of Legal Writers presented Judge Henry its Lifetime-Achievement Award for legal writing.聽Since leaving the bench, Judge Henry has conducted moot appellate court arguments, participated in mediations, and represented Indian Nations on various matters.聽He also served on the board of Devon Energy.
Judge Henry鈥檚 past law related activities include several years on The Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of the Vera Institute of Justice in New York, and the Board of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.聽Judge Henry was the United States Representative to the Foundation for the Future, based in Amman, Jordan (succeeding Justice Sandra Day O鈥機onnor). He served on the Advisory Board, Judicial Outreach Program of the American Society of International Law. He was the inaugural chair of the American Bar Association鈥檚 Middle East and North Africa Council. He has written numerous law review articles and book chapters and has lectured at law schools around the country and abroad. Judge Henry holds four honorary doctorate degrees.
Judge Henry has received many awards over the years.聽He has been inducted into the Order of the Owl, which is the Hall of Fame for Oklahoma University College of Law; he received the Light, Leadership & Legacy Award from the Oklahoma Israel Exchange; he was recognized by the Oklahoma Supreme Court as 鈥淭he Honored One鈥 at the Oklahoma Sovereignty Symposium; he received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Department of State for his work in international judicial relations; he received a Certificate of Gratitude (for substantial contribution to the development of relations between American and Russian Judges) from the Council of Judges of the Russian Federation.聽Also, he received the Oklahoma Human Rights Award from the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission and the A. C. Hamlin Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
Judge Henry is currently a Jurist-in-Residence for Rule of Law at the University of 麻豆社区 of Law.
