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The Honorable Tanya Walton Pratt, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, addressed IU McKinney’s graduating students during the law school’s graduation celebration event on May 13. The program took place in Hall J at the Indiana Convention Center.

In the photo are Interim IUPUI Chancellor Andrew R. Klein, Chief Judge Pratt, and IU McKinney Dean Karen E. Bravo.

Chief Judge Pratt is the first person of color to serve as the Southern District of Indiana’s chief judge and is the 10th chief judge in the court’s history. She was appointed as a district judge on June 15, 2010, becoming the first African-American federal judge in Indiana history. From 2008 until her appointment to the bench in the district court, Chief Judge Pratt served as a judge in the Marion Superior Court Probate Division. She was elected to the Marion Superior Court in 1996 and served as presiding judge of the Superior Court Criminal Division from 1997 to 2008. She also served as a master commissioner in the Marion Superior Court from 1993 to 1996. Prior to her election to the bench, she was active in private practice as a partner in the firm Walton & Pratt, where she primarily focused on family law, bankruptcy, and probate law. She also served as a contract county public defender during her years in private practice.

While not an alumna of IU McKinney, Chief Judge Pratt is surrounded by them on her family tree, Dean Karen E. Bravo said during the judge’s introduction at the event. Her late father, Charles A. Walton Sr. graduated from IU McKinney in 1959; her brother, Charles A. Walton Jr. was a member of the class of 1989; and her daughter, Marion Circuit Magistrate Judge Lena Pratt Sanders, graduated in 2016. By way of advice for the students, Chief Judge Pratt said “My advice, regardless of what you do with your degree, I want to urge you to continue to use the tradition, the McKinney tradition, of being instruments of justice and in doing so I want you to embrace and encourage the developing diversity of our profession and I urge you to always do your best.”

Vice Dean Cynthia Adams, J.D. ’83, (in the photo at left) presented the Faculty Prize to Natalie Wichern. Wichern’s note for the Indiana Law Review, “Undiscovered Sins of Youth: Indiana’s Jurisdictional Gap When Child Molesting Committed by a Juvenile Is Not Discovered Until Adulthood,” addresses a critical gap in Indiana law and is being considered by the state’s leaders as they fashion a solution to the problem, Vice Dean Adams said. Wichern served as editor-in-chief of the Indiana Law Review, and as an associate justice for the Robert H. Staton Moot Court, among other law school accomplishments.

Students who served as graduation celebration speakers included (in the photo from left) Angela Lyon for the Master of Jurisprudence program, Helay Khwajazada for the Master of Laws program, Priya Malik for the day division of the Doctor of Jurisprudence program, and Carolyn Rowe for the evening division of the Doctor of Jurisprudence program.

Lyon talked about her father and his impact on her life. “I think he knew that I would further my education, but knew I was stubborn enough to do it in my own way and on my own time,” she said in her remarks. “So, for the non-traditional students, there is a wisdom that comes with life experiences, and I would assert that has only enhanced our education.”

Khwajazada talked about her path to IU McKinney, which included fleeing her home in Afghanistan in August 2021 as the Taliban took over the country. To her fellow LL.M. graduates, she said: “It’s a challenging program that requires passion, commitment, and dedication. I am proud of each and every one of us for completing this degree, especially considering the additional challenges we faced as international students, far from family and home.”

Malik urged her classmates to consider the role they will have to serve as mediators in polarized situations. “We live in a time where fear and ignorance have led to the denigration of certain rights,” she said. “And I want to remind you all today that some of the most awful things that human beings have done to one another have happened under the umbrella of legality. I urge you to remember that as future lawyers, judges, and leaders in our community, we are specially poised to make a difference.”

In her remarks, Rowe offered a challenge to her fellow classmates as they approach what’s next. “I hope you snuff out disparity. That you use your privilege for good. Practice accountability. Ensure our profession is accepting and accessible. Remember the law is human-made and ever evolving. … That while you’re standing up for what you believe in, you take the time to see things from other points of view and really try to understand people. That we create and aid a better system of justice and a better America for everyone.”

The law school celebrated 230 students who received Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees, 19 Master of Laws graduates, and nine Master of Jurisprudence graduates. Nearly 120 J.D. students received graduate certificates and members of the class of 2023 contributed over 5,800 hours of pro bono service during their time in law school. Master of Laws candidates were hooded by Professor Frank Sullivan and Associate Dean Tom Wilson. Master of Jurisprudence candidates were hooded by Associate Dean Wilson. Doctor of Jurisprudence candidates were hooded by Professors Lahny Silva, Frank Sullivan, Margaret Tarkington, and George Wright.