The Ronnie F. Heyman ’72 Crossing Divides Program establishes a formal speaker series that brings together high-profile leaders from opposite sides of major national debates to discuss how they bridge differences and work to understand each other.
The program, announced in October 2023, is designed to foster discourse across the political and ideological spectrum and reinforce the core values of lawyering.
The Crossing Divides Program will also provide co-teaching opportunities for courses and support student initiatives that reinforce this work.
“At a moment when the world is increasingly polarized, our ability to work through differences and uphold the finest values of this profession has never been more critical,” said Dean Heather K. Gerken. “At Yale Law School, we have a storied tradition of not only crossing divides, but forging friendships across divides.”
The Crossing Divides Program is part of the Tsai Leadership Program at Yale Law School.
Event Photos
Former U.S. Solicitors General Noel Francisco (center) and Don Verrilli (left) spoke about the challenges of the job and their long friendship across political parties with Professor Cristina Rodríguez.
Professor Oona Hathaway ’97 (right) and Harvard Law School professor Jack Goldsmith ’89 discussed their long collaborative friendship.
Former Secretaries of Health and Human Services — Donna Shalala and Alex M. Azar II ’91 — discussed rooting public health policy in evidence-based medicine and how public officials can increase trust in science and government.
Professors Douglas NeJaime, Marisol Orihuela, and David Schleicher discussed learning and working across differences as an essential skill for law school, legal practice, and life.
On Feb. 20, 2024, Judge J. Michael Luttig spoke to students after a conversation with Dean Heather K. Gerken about the importance of working across ideological lines to uphold the rule of law.
Bob Bauer (left), former White House General Counsel under President Barack Obama, and Ben L. Ginsberg (center), former counsel to the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign in conversation with Dean Heather K. Gerken.
Secretary Jeh Johnson (center) in conversation with Judge Thomas B. Griffith (left) at Yale Law School on April 3, 2024. Tsai Leadership Senior Distinguished Fellow in Residence Luke Bronin ’06 moderated.
Event Highlights
Among its events, the Crossing Divides series also sponsored monthly Community Lunches in the Ruttenberg Dining Hall throughout the year. Hosted by the Dean’s Office and the Office of Student Affairs, the lunches featured “conversation menus” that aimed to help students form connections and get to know one another better.
Fall 2024
During the fall 2024 term, two events in September started the school year for the Crossing Divides Program.
On Sept. 17, the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society at Yale Law School teamed up to present a Crossing Divides Constitution Day panel discussion with United States District Judges Benjamin Beaton and Richard F. Boulware II.
A Sept. 24 event on questions related to the First Amendment
The discussion, moderated by Alfred M. Rankin Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy Abbe R. Gluck ’00, covered the judges’ conceptions of the judicial role, challenges inherent in the profession, and the importance of the rule of law.
On Sept. 24, Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Heather K. Gerken hosted a conversation between Professors Robert Post and Keith Whittington.
The panelists tackled difficult questions related to the First Amendment, including free speech and the academic and democratic roles of educational institutions.
On Nov. 12, NPR “Morning Edition” host Steve Inskeep came to the Law School for a talk on his book “Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America.” The event featured Inskeep with Tsai Leadership Senior Distinguished Fellow in Residence Luke Bronin ’06, where they discussed lessons Lincoln’s leadership offers for engaging with others who hold dramatically different views than our own. He also took questions from students about today’s fractured political landscape.
Spring 2025
On Jan. 28, Author Alexandra O. Hudson, in conversation with Sterling Professor of Law Anthony T. Kronman, discussed her new book, “The Soul of Civility,” in which she argues that civility can help bridge our social, cultural, and political divides.
Luke Bronin ’06 (left) with Steve Inskeep, host of NPR’s ”Morning Edition” on Nov. 12, 2024.
On March 6, former U.S. Solicitors General Noel Francisco and Don Verrilli spoke about the challenges of the job, the importance of practicing oral arguments, and their long friendship across political parties. Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law Cristina Rodríguez, the faculty director of the Carol and Gene Ludwig Program in Public Sector Leadership, moderated.
In an intimate discussion on March 11, former U.S. Reps. Anne Marie Buerkle (R-NY) and Donna Edwards (D-MD) spoke with students about the unique opportunities posed by careers in the federal government. The two women described their respective nontraditional paths to federal service and answered questions from students on drafting legislation and passing bipartisan bills.
“We always felt we could talk about things even though we disagreed,” Professor Oona Hathaway ’97 told a standing-room-only audience during her conversation with Harvard Law School professor Jack Goldsmith ’89 on April 11. The two international law scholars discussed their long collaborative friendship and agreed to disagree on a few points — while finding plenty of common ground.
Former Reps. Anne Marie Buerkle (left) and Donna Edwards (center) with Ludwig Program executive director Margie Adler (right).
President Laurent Fabius, former Prime Minister of France and architect of the Paris Agreement, spoke with students and moderator Luke Bronin on April 11. Fabius discussed his experiences serving in all three branches of government in France, the intergenerational challenges that face political leaders, and the role of courts in defending democracy.
Decades apart, they each served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Donna Shalala during the Clinton years and Alex M. Azar II ’91 under the first Trump administration. Yale School of Public Health Dean Megan Ranney led the conversation on April 10, which focused on the shared beliefs that override political differences — namely, rooting public health policy in evidence-based medicine and how public officials can increase trust in science and government.
During its inaugural year, the Crossing Divides Program offered a full slate of events designed to demonstrate the importance of working across ideological divides.
The program includes a formal speaker series as well as faculty panels, co-teaching opportunities for courses, and support for student-led initiatives — all themed around the importance of collegiality despite difference. Notable guest speakers included Bob Bauer, former White House General Counsel under President Barack Obama, in conversation with Ben L. Ginsberg, former counsel to the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign; Judge J. Michael Luttig, co-chair of the American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy, in conversation with Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor Heather K. Gerken; and Judge Thomas B. Griffith in conversation with former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. The program also invited judges to visit the Law School and discuss their cooperative working relationships on the bench.
In April, Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan and Judge Amul Thapar visited the Law School as part of the Admitted Students Program, an event that was also open to current students. In March, two student groups — the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society — brought Chief Judge Boasberg and Judge Dabney Friedrich to the School for a Judges Chat with support from the Crossing Divides Program.
