Batts portrait unveiled in Langdell

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At a ceremony Saturday, a portrait of U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts ’72 commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Alumni/ae Committee was hung in the Caspersen Room of Langdell Hall. Batts, a former professor at the Fordham School of Law, was appointed to the bench by President Clinton in 1994. Her nomination and unanimous confirmation in the Senate marked the first and only time that an openly gay, lesbian or bisexual American has joined the federal judiciary. “The Law School is pleased and honored to accept the portrait, which will be a superb tribute to this distinguished member of the bench,” Dean Robert C. Clark ’72 said in a press release. Simmie Knox, who is working on the official portrait for President Clinton, painted the portrait. Batts herself said she was overcome by the gesture. “I am so touched and amazed that anyone would do this. In fact, I am as embarrassed as I am pleased,” she told the school’s press office.

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