served for many years as the Reporter for the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules and as Reporter for the Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System for the Judicial Conference of the United States.
Professor Gibson has received many distinguished honors, appointments, and recognitions for her teaching and writings. President Clinton nominated her to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2000 but, unfortunately, for the judiciary and the public, her nomination expired without action being taken by the U. S. Senate.
Professor Gibson not only has produced significant scholarship during her career, but has taken the time to make that research and writing accessible to judges and professionals throughout the country. She has spoken at professional and judicial conferences and seminars throughout her esteemed career, including at the College’ s Annual Meeting in March 2004 shortly after being elected as a Fellow. Her scholarship and other academic work have an enduring quality and remain very relevant and useful to the bankruptcy community. As one of the foremost experts on the intersection of bankruptcy and federal courts, her careful analysis of the constitutional authority of bankruptcy courts, jury trials, and sovereign immunity remain classics in the field. As an illustration of her public spirit, a significant portion of her original research and analysis on the treatment of mass torts in bankruptcy was published as Federal Judicial Center manuals, making them available to any and all readers: Judicial Management of Mass Tort Bankruptcy Cases( FJC 2005)( 162 pp.) and Case Studies of Mass Tort Limited Fund Class Action Settlements and Bankruptcy Reorganizations( FJC 2000)( 244 pp.). These
frequently cited books are prescient in their identification of legal and constitutional challenges and questions that remain critical two decades later.
The letters in support of Gibson’ s nomination for this award were effusive about her as a scholar(“ an intellectual powerhouse”) and her exceptional character(“ She is gracious, charming, and genuinely cares about the well-being of those around her”). She has no less than six bankruptcy judges who were her former students. To a person, she inspired and mentored them both during law school and in their professional careers. As one of the judges noted –“ It is difficult to know where to begin with an icon like Professor Gibson.” While she has a collection of adoring judges who were fortunate to have taken her courses in law school, in many ways, every bankruptcy judge in the Country for generations has been her student. Her impact through her Federal Judicial Center service has been far reaching and impactful. And, as one supporter noted:“ My favorite two quotes about
Elizabeth:
•“ If she didn’ t exist, the courts would have to create her.”
•“ She is almost always the smartest person in the room, but she doesn’ t ever act like she knows that.” Professor Gibson’ s range of contributions to our profession can hardly be captured in this short article. It is with overwhelming admiration and awe that the College acknowledges one of its own by adding her to the list of outstanding bankruptcy professionals who have preceded her with recognition of this year’ s Distinguished Service Award.
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