Thomas E. Brennan
Encyclopedia
Thomas E. Brennan is the founder of Thomas M. Cooley Law School
, the 81st Justice
and Chief Justice
of the Michigan Supreme Court
, an attorney, and former jurist and educator in the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
, and graduated from the private Detroit Catholic Central High School
, where he excelled in forensics. He attended the University of Detroit and earned a LL.B
from the University of Detroit Law School in 1952. In 1951, he married Pauline M. Weinberger. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives from the Wayne County
1st District in 1952 and from the 6th District in 1954. In December 1955, he was the Republican Party
candidate in the special election for the U.S. Representative from Michigan's 15th congressional district
to fill the seat of John Dingell, Sr., who had died in office. Brennan lost to Dingell's son, John Dingell Jr.
In 1953, he joined the law firm of Waldron, Brennan, Brennan, and Maher, with whom he worked until 1961, when he was elected to a seat on the Common Pleas Bench. In 1963, he was appointed by Michigan Governor George W. Romney
to the Wayne County Circuit Bench, and in 1964 he was elected to that same position.
as Associate Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Brennan won the nomination, and the election. In 1969 and 1970, Brennan served as Chief Justice, the youngest Justice to serve in that capacity.
. In 1972, he incorporated the Thomas M. Cooley Law School
. Brennan left the Supreme Court on December 6, 1973, to dedicate his professional career to the newly-formed law school.
Brennan served as first Dean
of Cooley Law School until 1978, when he became its first president. Today, Cooley Law School has over 11,000 alumni, and has four campuses in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan
, located in Grand Rapids
, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Auburn Hills
. In 2010, Cooley Law School will celebrate its 32nd year of American Bar Association accreditation.
in the Republican primary election. In 1982, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
, losing to Democrat Martha W. Griffiths in the general election.
(ABA) data, first published in 1996. The rankings, also known as the Brennan rankings, are compiled and published by Brennan. Now in their tenth edition, the rankings are published in print form and online. They measure objective American Bar Association
(ABA) statistics such as first time bar passage rates, course offerings, LSAT scores, tuition cost, academic facilities, employment, applicants, student and faculty diversity
, as well as twenty other objective measures used by the ABA. In 2009 Harvard Law School
and Georgetown Law School were ranked numbers 1 and 2.
Judging the Law Schools does not poll perceived reputation as do commercial publications such as U.S. News rankings, and no one statistic is weighted more than 3% in Cooley's ranking system. Because large schools tend to be ranked higher in Judging the Law Schools due to wider course offerings, greater numbers of applicants, and larger academic facilities, critics have alleged that the rankings favor larger institutions such as his own.
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Thomas M. Cooley Law School is an American Bar Association accredited law school in the United States. Located in Michigan, its main campus is in Lansing, and its satellite campuses are in Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, and Grand Rapids. Cooley plans on opening another satellite campus in Tampa Bay,...
, the 81st Justice
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Supreme Court
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...
, an attorney, and former jurist and educator in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Early life
Brennan was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, and graduated from the private Detroit Catholic Central High School
Detroit Catholic Central High School
Detroit Catholic Central High School is a private, Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school in Novi, Michigan. Founded in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan by the Archdiocese of Detroit, the school is operated by the Congregation of St. Basil...
, where he excelled in forensics. He attended the University of Detroit and earned a LL.B
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from the University of Detroit Law School in 1952. In 1951, he married Pauline M. Weinberger. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives from the Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
1st District in 1952 and from the 6th District in 1954. In December 1955, he was the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate in the special election for the U.S. Representative from Michigan's 15th congressional district
Michigan's 15th congressional district
Michigan's 15th congressional district is a district in parts of Washtenaw and Wayne counties, and all of Monroe County. It includes the southwest suburbs of Detroit such as Romulus, Taylor, Inkster, and Dearborn Heights. It also includes the western portion of Dearborn...
to fill the seat of John Dingell, Sr., who had died in office. Brennan lost to Dingell's son, John Dingell Jr.
John Dingell
John David Dingell, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1955 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
In 1953, he joined the law firm of Waldron, Brennan, Brennan, and Maher, with whom he worked until 1961, when he was elected to a seat on the Common Pleas Bench. In 1963, he was appointed by Michigan Governor George W. Romney
George W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...
to the Wayne County Circuit Bench, and in 1964 he was elected to that same position.
Michigan Supreme Court
In 1966, at the urging of Governor Romney, Brennan, sought the nomination of the Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
as Associate Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Brennan won the nomination, and the election. In 1969 and 1970, Brennan served as Chief Justice, the youngest Justice to serve in that capacity.
Founding the Thomas M. Cooley Law School
During his service on the Bench, Brennan received many requests for law school recommendations. This was the basis of his vision for a new, private, law school in Lansing, MichiganLansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
. In 1972, he incorporated the Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Thomas M. Cooley Law School is an American Bar Association accredited law school in the United States. Located in Michigan, its main campus is in Lansing, and its satellite campuses are in Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, and Grand Rapids. Cooley plans on opening another satellite campus in Tampa Bay,...
. Brennan left the Supreme Court on December 6, 1973, to dedicate his professional career to the newly-formed law school.
Brennan served as first Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of Cooley Law School until 1978, when he became its first president. Today, Cooley Law School has over 11,000 alumni, and has four campuses in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
, located in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills, Michigan
Auburn Hills is a city in Metro Detroit, Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1983 when Pontiac Township became the City of Auburn Hills.-Economy:...
. In 2010, Cooley Law School will celebrate its 32nd year of American Bar Association accreditation.
Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society
Brennan is a charter member of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, and served as Treasurer until 2001. "My greatest joy is found with my family," said Brennan.Later career
Brennan was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan in 1976, losing to Marvin L. EschMarvin L. Esch
Marvin Leonel Esch was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan and a member of the Republican Party. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1977 before unsuccessfully seeking a seat in the United States Senate in the 1976 election...
in the Republican primary election. In 1982, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
, losing to Democrat Martha W. Griffiths in the general election.
Judging the Law Schools
Judging the Law Schools is a law school ranking using only American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA) data, first published in 1996. The rankings, also known as the Brennan rankings, are compiled and published by Brennan. Now in their tenth edition, the rankings are published in print form and online. They measure objective American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA) statistics such as first time bar passage rates, course offerings, LSAT scores, tuition cost, academic facilities, employment, applicants, student and faculty diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, as well as twenty other objective measures used by the ABA. In 2009 Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and Georgetown Law School were ranked numbers 1 and 2.
Judging the Law Schools does not poll perceived reputation as do commercial publications such as U.S. News rankings, and no one statistic is weighted more than 3% in Cooley's ranking system. Because large schools tend to be ranked higher in Judging the Law Schools due to wider course offerings, greater numbers of applicants, and larger academic facilities, critics have alleged that the rankings favor larger institutions such as his own.
External links
- JudgeBrennan.com
- Thomas E. Brennan's Starting a Law School
- Internet Legal Research Group: Thomas E. Brennan's Judging the Law Schools
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School
- The Thomas E. Brennan Law Library at Thomas M. Cooley Law School
- Michigan Supreme Court
- Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society
- The Political Graveyard