CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal ’73 to Speak at YLS April 20

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal ’73 will deliver a Dean’s Lecture on Monday, April 20, 2009, at Yale Law School. The lecture is titled “Leadership through Lawyering.” It begins at 4:30 p.m. in Room 127. A reception will follow in the Alumni Reading Room.

Richard Blumenthal was first elected Attorney General for Connecticut in 1990 and is serving an unprecedented fifth term in that role. During his tenure, he has aggressively pursued law enforcement for consumer protection, environmental stewardship, labor rights, and personal privacy.

Among his successes, he was a leader in the U.S. Supreme Court battle compelling the federal government to obey the law and recognize that CO2 emissions are polluting the air and must be regulated; he helped lead a coalition of all 50 states that culminated in an historic agreement with MySpace and other social networking sites to better protect children from Internet predators; and he helped lead the national fight against Big Tobacco to stop deceptive marketing aimed at children—a victory significantly lowering youth smoking rates and compelling a multibillion dollar settlement for Connecticut taxpayers.

He has successfully fought unfair utility rate charges and frauds victimizing consumers, and his advocacy has forced reforms in the health insurance industry and in state government contracting.

He previously served in the Connecticut State Senate and the Connecticut House of Representatives and as U.S. Attorney for Connecticut. 

Blumenthal graduated from Harvard College and received his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal.