Judge Anthony Devos Johnstone to LMU Loyola Law School Grads: "May Your Work Continue the Cause of Human Dignity"

LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Judge Anthony Devos Johnstone called on LMU Loyola Law School graduates to "continue the cause of human dignity" in their career during his commencement address Sunday on the Loyola Marymount University Westchester campus.

Johnstone, who serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, urged graduates to embrace what he described as the legal profession's "higher purpose" – giving voice to others while upholding the equal dignity of all people under the law. See the press kit with images and Johnstone's commencement video HERE.

"In becoming lawyers, you have a higher purpose than simple representation," he said. "The dignity of your clients demands that you give voice to their lives, liberties, and pursuits. Yet that dignity also calls you to make those lives, liberties, and pursuits real under a rule of law that respects the equal dignity of others."

Johnstone also praised LMU Loyola Law School's longstanding commitment to public service and clinical legal education, noting the graduates' thousands of hours of legal aid and pro bono service provided to underserved communities.

"Our communities, and our courts, need you to fill these critical gaps in our legal system and further its aspirations toward justice," he said.

"As you commence your careers, let me leave you with this," he said. "The true dignity of the law is not to be found in our marble courtrooms, our judges in their black robes, or even our venerable Constitution and monumental legal codes. What truly dignifies our courtrooms are the people we serve — and the lawyers who give them a voice in the law."

Known for his intellectual rigor, balanced judicial temperament, and commitment to the rule of law, Johnstone was confirmed to the bench in 2023, bringing with him a distinguished record of public service, legal scholarship, and appellate advocacy.

Prior to his appointment, Johnstone served as Montana's Solicitor General, where he represented the state in high-stakes appellate litigation and argued cases before state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier in his career, he was a professor at the University of Montana, Alexander Blewett III School of Law, where he taught constitutional law, legislation, and philosophy of  law, and was widely respected for his thoughtful and rigorous approach to legal education. Johnstone also clerked for Judge Sidney R. Thomas of the Ninth Circuit, an experience that helped shape his deep understanding of judicial decision-making and appellate practice.

This year's graduates include the inaugural class of LMU Loyola Law School's Hybrid JD Evening Program, an evolution of the school's nationally ranked, century-old evening program that combines weekly on campus instruction with flexible virtual coursework and learning materials.

The celebration wrapped up a commencement weekend that began Saturday morning with tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams as the keynote speaker for the 2026 undergraduate commencement ceremony, and was followed by a Sunday morning graduate commencement address by Ben Sherwood, CEO and publisher of The Daily Beast. In all, nearly 3,000 undergraduate, graduate, and law students participated in the three commencement events.

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University