Ken Gormley (academic)

Ken Gormley
13th President of Duquesne University
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 1, 2016
Preceded byCharles J. Dougherty
Dean of Duquesne Law School
In office
December 10, 2008 – January 2016
Preceded byDonald J. Guter
Succeeded byMaureen Lally-Green
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Gerald Gormley

(1955-03-19) March 19, 1955 (age 69)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pittsburgh (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
WebsiteOffice of the President

Kenneth Gerald Gormley (born March 19, 1955)[1][2] is an American lawyer and academic who is the 13th president of Duquesne University. He is a former dean and a professor of constitutional law at Duquesne University School of Law.[3] He is also a legal counsel for the Appellate Practice Group at the law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP.[4] His scholarly work focuses particularly on the Watergate scandal and special prosecutors.[5]

Career

Kenneth Gerald Gormley was born in Pittsburgh on March 19, 1955, and grew up in nearby Swissvale and Edgewood.[6][2] He earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1977 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1980.[2]

Gormley joined the Duquesne Law faculty in 1994 after clerking for U.S. District Judge Donald E. Ziegler, teaching at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, engaging in private practice, serving as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission, and serving as special clerk to Justice Ralph J. Cappy of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Gormley was named dean of the law school in December 2008.[7]

He has written articles for publications ranging from Rolling Stone to the ABA Journal and is author of the book Archibald Cox: The Conscience of a Nation. An expert on the constitutional crisis presented by Watergate, he has also published legal commentary on privacy issues.[8] In 2006, he testified before the U.S. Senate regarding warrantless surveillance.[9] His most recent book, The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr, was released on February 16, 2010.[10]

Gormley was nominated by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to one of two vacancies on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in February 2015. The Pennsylvania State Senate opted not to fill the vacancies, instead allowing the seats to be filled in the November election.[11]

On November 4, 2015, Duquesne University announced that Gormley would be the 13th President of Duquesne University, following the retirement of Charles J. Dougherty, effective July 1, 2016.[12]

In October 2021, Gormley published his first novel, a legal thriller entitled The Heiress of Pittsburgh. He has described the novel as a "love story to Pittsburgh".[13]

References

  1. ^ "The College of Arts and Sciences: Bachelor of Arts". University of Pittsburgh Commencement. University of Pittsburgh. April 24, 1977. p. 8.
  2. ^ a b c "Kenneth G. Gormley" (PDF). Duquesne University. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "Ken Gormley, J.D." Duquesne University School of Law. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Schnader's Ken Gormley Named Interim Dean of Duquesne University School of Law" (Press release). Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. 10 December 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Ken Gormley". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Kenneth G. Gormley Named 13th President of Duquesne University". Duquesne University. November 4, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Passarella, Gina (12 December 2008). "Ouster of Duquesne Law Dean Proves Divisive". The Legal Intelligencer. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  8. ^ Gormley, Ken (1992). "One Hundred Years of Privacy". Wisconsin Law Review. University of Wisconsin. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  9. ^ Gormley, Ken (28 February 2006). "Wartime Executive Power and the NSA's Surveillance Authority II". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  10. ^ Maslin, Janet (14 February 2010). "Damages: Bill Clinton's Legal Mess". New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  11. ^ Ward, Paula Reed (24 February 2015). "State Senate will not fill two vacancies on PA Supreme Court". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  12. ^ Niederberger, Mary (4 November 2015). "Duquesne University names Law School Dean Gormley as new president". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  13. ^ Dyer, Ervin. "Storied Endeavor". Pitt Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-08.