Wabash College welcomes to campus Erwin Chemerinsky as the 2026 recipient of the David W. Peck Senior Medal for Eminence in the Law.
Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California School of Law, will present the annual Peck Lecture, “Why is Free Speech Under Attack and What Can We Do About It?” at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, in the Fine Arts Center’s Salter Hall on the Wabash College campus.
Chemerinsky is a noted legal scholar, a prolific author, and a renowned free speech expert. In addition to his duties as dean in Berkeley, he is a professor of law with a focus on constitutional law and law and society. National Jurist magazine named Chemerinsky as the most influential person in legal education in the United States in 2024. He served as president of the Association of American Law Schools in 2022 and was named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
He frequently argues appellate cases, including in the United States Supreme Court.
Following the lecture, the College will host the Peck Dinner. Established in 1974, the Peck Dinner provides a unique opportunity for Wabash students interested in the law to meet lawyer alumni and to benefit from the wisdom of the Senior Peck Medal recipient. The event also recognizes student pre-law award winners.
“New free speech controversies seem to arise every day, including in the media, on college campuses, with respect to law firms, and even in how we teach our nation’s history,” said Scott Himsel, associate professor of political science and pre-law advisor. “No one is better qualified to explain why these controversies are arising or what we should do about them than Dean Chemerinsky.”
Chemerinsky is the author of 22 books that address constitutional law, criminal procedure, and federal jurisdiction. His two most recent books are 2026’s “Campus Speech and Academic Freedom: A Guide for Difficult Times (with Howard Gillman)” and 2025’s “Taking Sides: The Supreme Court October 2025.”
Additionally, Chemerinsky has written more than 200 law review articles and is a contributing writer for the opinion
section of the Los Angeles Times. He writes regular columns for the Sacramento Bee, the ABA Journal, and the Daily Journal, and frequently contributes op-eds in newspapers nationally.
He was the founding dean and distinguished professor of law, and Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law, at the University of California, Irvine School of Law (2008-17). Prior to that position, he was the Alston and Bird Professor of Law and Political Science at Duke University (2004-08), served as professor at the University of Southern California Law School (1983-2004), and was an assistant professor at the DePaul University College of Law (1980-83).
He is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Harvard Law School.
The Peck Lecture and Peck Dinner honor the memory of Judge David W. Peck, Wabash Class of 1922, a Harvard law graduate who founded the litigation department at Sullivan & Cromwell, served as presiding justice of the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court, and was a long-time member of the Wabash College Board of Trustees.