Saint Martin’s University will host the third lecture of the 2007–08 Robert A. Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 22, at 4 p.m. in Spangler Hall on the University’s main campus, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey, Washington, 98503.

Saint Martin’s distinguished alumnus Thomas W. Hillier II, federal public defender for the Western District of Washington state, will speak on federal public defense and its relationship to the changing landscape of federal sentencing law. The event is free and open to the public.

Hillier, a graduate of Saint Martin’s (1969) and the Gonzaga University School of Law (1973), has served as the district’s federal public defender for more than 25 years. In 1982, he was appointed to the position and has been reappointed every four years since. He argued before the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667 (1985), and has appeared before the 9th Circuit on many occasions. Hillier currently represents Ahmed Ressam, the “Millennium Bomber,” and will be appearing before the United States Supreme Court on Ressam’s behalf next month.