SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE KENNEDY TO CHRISTEN NEW GEHRY-DESIGNED ADVOCACY CENTER AT LOS ANGELES' DISTINGUISHED LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL

· The Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, will christen the new Frank O. Gehry-designed Albert H. Girardi Advocacy Center on September 23 at Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University's downtown law campus. Named after the father of Los Angeles Attorney Thomas Girardi, the building dedication ceremony includes a keynote address by Kennedy, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Kennedy will share his views on the importance of democracy and freedom, particularly in light of the events of September 11. A reception and tour will directly follow the ceremony. Attendance is by invitation only.

· Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank O. Gehry, the new, technologically advanced Girardi Advocacy Center sits within a series of contemporary buildings clustered around a central plaza - all of which have been created by Gehry over the last two decades. The three-story building, now the permanent home of the Center for Ethical Advocacy and solely dedicated to advocacy skills training, encompasses 15,141 square feet and contains a 90-person trial courtroom, a jury deliberation room, a 70-person appellate courtroom, a 36-person Center for Ethical Advocacy classroom and video training labs, as well as state-of-the-art presentation technology on every floor. Loyola is already ranked as one of the top trial advocacy programs in the nation.

· The law campus, almost entirely designed by Gehry, served as a launching point for the architect's growing acclaim. The seven buildings fully designed by Gehry and the two existing buildings renovated by Gehry chronicle his career from the late 70s through to the present day. The campus has been the subject of both local and international architectural awards. Gehry is famous for his influential designs worldwide, including the Frederick R. Wiseman Art Museum, Minneapolis (1992), the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (1997), and the Temporary Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (1983), among other projects.

· Justice Kennedy occupies a centrist position of the Supreme Court. He is a resolute defender of freedom of speech under the First Amendment and has authored some of the Court's important opinions striking down laws discriminating against ethnic minorities and gay persons.

· The afternoon following the building dedication, September 24, Kennedy will visit Loyola Marymount University's Westchester campus, where he will host a post-dialogue "town hall" gathering. The event caps off a series of simultaneous "Dialogues on Freedom" conducted at over a dozen Los Angeles area high schools by over 150 volunteer judges and lawyers. Beginning at 3 p.m., Kennedy will speak to a select group of 20 high school students. He will share his views on the importance of the principles of democracy and freedom and what it means to live in a country created on these ideals, particularly in light of the events of September 11, 2001.

· The Loyola Law School campus is located at 919 S. Albany Street (at Olympic Blvd.) in Los Angeles. Established in 1920, Loyola Law is one of the oldest law schools in California. It is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). Loyola Marymount University's Westchester campus is located at One LMU Drive.

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