Chin served in the District Court of Southern New York for 16 years until he was appointed to the Federal Appellate Court by President Obama in October 2009.
The Woodrow Wilson Award was established by an anonymous donor in 1956 and is awarded annually to an alumnus or alumna of the undergraduate college whose achievements exemplify Wilson’s memorable phrase “Princeton in the nation’s service.”
“I’m deeply honored to be receiving the Woodrow Wilson Award,” Chin said at the address on Saturday morning.
In Chin’s speech, he discussed making the transition from a district court to the federal appellate court. “There’s a lot less action, a lot less drama than there was in the trial court,” he said. “As a district judge, you are on your own ... as a circuit judge we sit in panels of three, so I’ve had to learn to play with others.”
Chin went on to describe some of the most challenging decisions and well-known cases he had to face as a district judge. He spoke about his controversial rulings on high-profile cases such as the Megan’s Law case, which dealt with a law requiring the publicization of information about local sex offenders, and the Million Youth March case, which concerned a public demonstration supporting such controversial ideas as the extermination of white residents in South Africa.
Some of his rulings have earned him harsh reactions from the media, including a New York Post columnist’s referring to him as “a fuzzy-headed buffoon” and the New York Daily News’ giving him the nickname “The Pervert’s Pal.”
“Judges do their best to follow the law, whether or not they personally agree with it,” Chin said.
One of the last cases he faced as a district judge was the trial of financier Bernie Madoff which, he said, was “quite challenging for me.”
“For better or for worse, I will always be associated with this case,” he explained, describing the publicity that surrounded Chin’s sentencing of the 71-year-old Madoff to 150 years in prison. “I thought the fraud was egregious, the breach of trust was massive, and I thought the symbolism was very important,” he explained.
Chin finished the lecture by describing the story of his grandfather’s immigration to America and the challenges his family has faced: Chin’s father worked in various restaurants and regularly sent money orders back to his family in Hong Kong until they could join him.
Describing his grandfather’s experience with the U.S. citizenship process, Chin said that “he took the oath of allegiance on June 11, 1947 in open court — in my former court — the southern district of New York.”
“Years later, as a district judge myself, I would administer the same oath to new citizens as I did the naturalization ceremony,” he said. “And I would always tell them about my grandfather.”
Because of his grandfather’s citizenship, Chin said, his father was able to bring his family from Hong Kong to the United States in 1956 with the help of eased immigration restrictions. Chin is the only active Asian-American appellate judge in the country.
“Chin’s story is such an American story,” said Mark Larsen ’76, who attended the lectures. “It’s a great thing to see how Princeton is able to touch different aspects of people’s lives in so many ways.”
Fuchs recieved the James Madison Medal Award, which was named after the nation’s fourth president and the University’s first graduate alumnus, and was established in 1973 by the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni. It is conferred each year on an alumnus or alumna of the Graduate School who has had a distinguished career, advanced the cause of graduate education or achieved a record of outstanding public service.
Fuchs, a professor of molecular genetics and cell biology at Rockefeller University, also spoke on Saturday morning, presenting a lecture titled “Skin Stem Cells: Their Biology and Clinical Promise.”
“I really love this place,” Fuchs said, noting that she was one of only three female students studying biochemistry during her time at the University. “What I really find important is that [professors] were willing to accept me and accept the science that I was doing. That is something I have never forgotten and something I will forever be grateful for.”
Speaking about her recent research on skin stem cells, Fuchs said that “it’s a great technology in the sense that it gives us promise that it might be possible to culture a whole variety of different cell types starting with a skin cell. It doesn’t even have to be a stem cell.”
Stem cells might have possibilities not just in treating autoimmune diseases and wounds, she added, but also in research on regenerative medicine. Fuchs cited a study that was able to treat blindness in patients by “taking the good eye’s stem cells [to] restore vision within 10 years.” Further research, she noted, could possibly restore vision in patients with two blind eyes by reprogramming “the skin stem cell into corneal stem cells so it would be possible to take a biopsy from a patient’s skin and be able to restore [vision].”
Fuchs finished by saying, “I left my studies at Princeton surrounded by a number of professors who taught me to think beyond the box — really think about what it is that drives your passion.”
During a Q-and-A period, pediatrician Michael Dickens '68 thanked Fuchs and others in her field who have been taking on autoimmune diseases. “It used to be that when I first started, all I could do was tell [patients] to take good care of themselves and they’ll live longer,” he explained. “Now I can tell them take good care of themselves because help is on the horizon.”.
Read More
Late meal is late again, program scales back to 2–4 p.m.
Eojin ParkFrist Late Meal is reducing its hours to 2 to 4 p.m. for lunch Monday through Friday. Additionally, the Whitman-Butler and Rocky-Mathey dining halls will be remaining open until 3 p.m. for lunch. The dinner hours remain unaffected.
Frist Late Meal is reducing its hours to 2 to 4 p.m. for lunch Monday through Friday. The dinner hours remain unaffected. Additionally, the Whitman-Butler and Rocky-Mathey dining halls will be remaining open until 3 p.m. for lunch.
U. investigating swastika graffiti in graduate student apartment building
Sena ChangGraffiti of a swastika was discovered in mid-July at Princeton’s Lakeside graduate housing complex, prompting Public Safety to boost patrols and investigate. The Department of Public Safety’s investigation is still ongoing, with no suspects identified.
Graffiti of a swastika was discovered in mid-July at Princeton’s Lakeside graduate housing complex, prompting Public Safety to boost patrols and investigate. The Department of Public Safety’s investigation is still ongoing, with no suspects identified.
U. discontinues Wintersession, citing budget constraints
Hayk YengibaryanThe University will discontinue the Office of Campus Engagement and Wintersession in September amid budget cuts, ending the six-year program that has offered winter session since 2021.
The University will discontinue the Office of Campus Engagement and Wintersession in September amid budget cuts, ending the six-year program that has offered winter session since 2021.