Judy Beckner Sloan
Professor of Law
B.A., Music Theory, 1967, University of Chicago
J.D., 1975, University of Maryland
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, 1981, Columbia University
United States Supreme Court Judicial Fellow, 1987
Order of the Coif
Member, Ohio State Bar
One entire wall in Judy Sloan's office is adorned with photos of every sitting United States Supreme Court Justice, each personally inscribed to her. Several of the justices are personal friends who have stayed at her home when in Los Angeles.
Professor Sloan's introduction to the inner sanctum of the nation's highest and very private court dates back to 1987 when she was chosen as a Supreme Court Judicial Fellow. At the time, she was a member of the University of Toledo law faculty which granted her a sabbatical to take advantage of this rare opportunity. As a fellow, Professor Sloan was assigned to the Federal Judicial Center's Research Division where she conducted research on court administration for circuit judges, and gave special Supreme Court tours and briefings to visitors from high courts of other countries.
She also conducted empirical research on bankruptcy, which inspired her to pursue a new direction in her own research and teaching. She continues her association with the Court and the program—as a Supreme Court Fellows Commissioner and Secretary of the Fellows Association. In 2012, she received the Administration of Justice Award from the U.S. Supreme Court at the annual Supreme Court Fellows Dinner in recognition of her contributions to the Supreme Court Fellows program and long-standing dedication to the judicial system.
"Law is power. As a teacher, I hope to inspire students so that when they exercise that power it will be done in a responsible way."
Professor Sloan views bankruptcy as "society's great economic safety valve." She has written a number of scholarly articles and spoken on the topic at professional forums, and has applied her expertise in helping evolving European democracies develop new bankruptcy rules. Since 1994, she has evaluated the bankruptcy codes of Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia and the Republic of Moldova, and the laws governing the Specialized Courts of the Slovak Republic, at the request of the American Bar Association's Central and East European Law Initiative.
Professor Sloan has been a member of the Southwestern faculty since 1991. In 1996, Professor Sloan was named the Irving D. and Florence Rosenberg Professor of Law in recognition of her outstanding teaching and public service involvement
Selected Achievements
Administration of Justice Award, U.S. Supreme Court, 2012
Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court Judicial Fellows Commission, 2001
Board of Advisors, "Bankruptcy Battleground West," American Bankruptcy Institute, 1998-99