Hon. Julian C. Dixon '67

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 32nd District
(1934 - 2000)

Congressman Dixon '67 served in Congress for twenty-two years until his untimely death in December 2000. He was an extremely helpful and supportive alumnus and was honored as Alumnus of the Year in 1991 by Southwestern's Alumni Association. Congressman Dixon was highly regarded and respected by members of both parties for his fairness, honesty and ability to develop bipartisan solutions to difficult problems.

With the signing of H.R. 2500 - the Department of Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriations Act - by President George W. Bush on November 28, 2001, Southwestern Law School was granted $1 million to construct the Julian Dixon Courtroom and Advocacy Center.

"Congressman Julian Dixon spent so much of his career in pursuit of justice for all individuals, most notably through his role in the struggle for civil rights and his chairmanship of the Congressional Black Caucus," stated Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who was instrumental in securing the grant. "The development of the Julian C. Dixon Courtroom and Advocacy Center will serve as a fitting tribute to this friend and colleague."

The Julian C. Dixon Courtroom and Advocacy Center is the most technologically sophisticated center of its kind in the western United States. Serving as a model for both jury and appellate courtrooms of the future, the Center will facilitate the teaching of effective innovative advocacy and litigation skills to law students, and will provide a state-of-the art courtroom training venue and community resource for attorneys, judges, and court administrators from throughout southern California and beyond.