by Pete Rosenbery
CARBONDALE, Ill. — A former faculty member at Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School will reflect on his career and time at SIU Carbondale, and his current role as a federal judge in Washington, D.C., during a lecture on April 22.
Ryan T. Holte
Ryan T. Holte, a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, will present “Living Lincoln’s Vision From the Bench Twelve Years After SIU” at 5:30 p.m. in the Hiram H. Lesar Building’s auditorium. A reception is at 4:30 p.m. in the law school’s formal lounge.
The lecture, part of the Gene & Katy Simonds Lectureship in Democracy series, is free and open to the public.
Holte was nominated to his current position in 2017 by President Donald Trump and sworn in July 2019 after confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Before that, he had a career in academia, including serving as assistant professor of law at SIU from 2013 to 2017 where he taught intellectual property law and property law. He also currently serves as jurist in residence professor of law at the University of Akron School of Law.
During his presentation, Holte will discuss his time at SIU Carbondale and how his court and jurisdiction roots date back to President Lincoln and his practical approach to government was learned from his time in Illinois law practice.
Zvi Rosen, an assistant professor of law, has known Holte for years and said he’s “a model speaker in the spirit of the Gene & Katy Simonds Lectureship in Democracy.”
Rosen said the lecture will be “interesting and informative” with a mixture of Holte’s personal and professional reflections on his experiences and lessons learned while in Southern Illinois.
“Judge Holte has had a fascinating career as a federal judge, law professor, engineer and entrepreneur,” Rosen said. “He began his academic career teaching here, and I believe he has a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to impart about Southern Illinois, Abraham Lincoln and what it means to be a judge.”
Holte received his law degree from the University of California Davis School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the California Maritime Academy, where he was a First Class graduate of the Corps of Cadets Third Engineering Division and sailed as a U.S. Merchant Marine oiler.
Before entering academia, Holte’s work included serving as a litigation attorney at the Federal Trade Commission and six years as general counsel and partner of an electrical engineering technology company. He is a co-inventor of five patents related to systems and methods for countering satellite-navigated munitions, inventions originally held under a U.S. Army Secrecy Order..
Established by Congress in 1855, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims consists of 16 judges nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for 15-year active terms and lifetime senior status. The court hears cases filed by citizens for monetary claims against the federal government.
Eighth lecture in series
The series was established in 2015 through a gift from Emma K. “Katy” Simonds. The funds support a lecture, symposium or debate on a topic of current or recurring public interest, which explores commonsense solutions to issues related to the common good by applying principles of limited government, popular sovereignty, personal liberty, personal responsibility and federalism.