Tonight's celebration will feature many of New York City's most esteemed scholars. They include the Hon. Judith Kaye, Chief Judge of the State of New York, Hon. John M. Walker Jr., Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, Michael Cardozo, Corporation Counsel for the City of New York, and Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for The New Yorker.

The Home of Law was designed by legendary American architect Cass Gilbert, designer of the Woolworth and U.S. Supreme Court Buildings, and consulting architect for the George Washington Bridge. The groundbreaking for the Home of Law took place in 1929 and construction was completed just five and a half months later, on May 26, 1930, exactly 75 years ago today. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by such notable figures as then Court of Appeals Chief Judge Benjamin N. Cardozo, Judge Samuel Seabury, John W. Davis, and City Bar President Charles C. Burlingham. Then-NYCLA President William Nelson Cromwell chose 14 Vesey Street for the Home of Law because, with St. Paul's Chapel across the street, no building would ever block the view.

NYCLA, in its 97-year history, has proven to be a visionary and inclusive organization, pioneering some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence and playing an active role in legal developments and public policy. NYCLA also bears the mark of distinction of being the first major bar association in the United States that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or gender. NYCLA and its Home of Law serve New York with distinction, and I am pleased to honor them today on the 75th anniversary of their historic building.