WELCOME TO THE CLUB: Vice Dean Barton H. “Buzz” Thompson, Jr., JD/MBA ’76 (BA ’72) was named this summer to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Committee on Valuing the Protection of Ecological Systems and Services. ❖ In August, California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George ’64 was elected President of the Conference of Chief Justices.

KUDOS: At a September 25 ceremony organized by the group Public Advocates, Miguel A. Méndez, Adelbert H. Sweet Professor of Law, was recognized as a “Voice of Conscience” in honor of the more than ten years he has served as the group’s Board Chair. ❖ The American Bar Association announced in August that Law Professor Lawrence Lessig will receive its first Cyberspace Law Excellence Award. ❖ The Planning and Conservation League announced in July that it has created an annual Robert Garcia Award for Environmental Justice, in honor of the Stanford Law School graduate from the Class of 1979 who is its first recipient.

BENCHED: In a voice vote, the Senate confirmed on July 10 the nomination of Charles F. Lettow ’68 to a seat on the U.S Court of Federal Claims. ❖ Also this summer, President George W. Bush nominated Craig S. Iscoe ’78 to serve as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia and Carlos Bea ’58 (BA ’56) to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

POWER & INFLUENCE: The August issue of Nonprofit Times named former Dean Paul Brest, now the President of the Hewlett Foundation, to its list, Power & Influence Top 50. ❖ Also in August, Professor Lessig was included in Managing Intellectual Property magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in IP. ❖ Lecturer Jennifer Stisa Granick, Director of the Cyberlaw Clinic, was featured as one of 20 women luminaries in Information Security magazine.