Hon. Albert Diaz, the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, will serve as Commencement speaker for Marquette University Law School at its 2024 hooding and Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18, at 2 p.m. at the Miller High Life Theatre, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave.
In 2023, Diaz became the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, one of the regional federal appellate courts immediately below the Supreme Court of the United States. He was appointed to the Fourth Circuit in 2010 by President Barack Obama. His prior judicial work includes service on the state trial bench in North Carolina and on the Navy–Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. Diaz previously worked as a prosecutor and in private practice.
In 2015, he presided on the panel judging the Jenkins Honors Moot Court Finals – the appellate moot court competition for Marquette law students – and a year later delivered the annual Hallows Lecture.
