FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 2001 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS TO SPEAK SATURDAY AT DRAKE SUPREME COURT BANQUET U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, will give the keynote address at Drake Law School's Annual Supreme Court Celebration banquet on Saturday, March 3. The speech will follow a 6 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. dinner in the Iowa Ballroom at the downtown Marriott Hotel. Edwards' speech, which is expected to start at 8:15 p.m., is titled "Making the Law Work for Regular People." A former trial lawyer, Edwards was one of presidential candidate Al Gore's top choices as a running mate. Edwards' speech at Drake Law School's banquet already has been mentioned in newspaper stories in North Carolina and Florida. For example, a Feb. 20 story in the St. Petersburg Times by Sara Fritz states that Edwards' Iowa speech "is widely viewed as an opportunity for him to make himself known in a state that can help make or break the budding aspirations of a presidential contender." Sen. Edwards was sworn into office on Jan. 6, 1999, becoming the 51st North Carolinian in history to serve in the U.S. Senate. As a new senator, he quickly emerged as a champion for better schools, saving Social Security and Medicare, and a meaningful Patients' Bill of Rights. Born in 1953, Edwards grew up in Robbins, a small town in the Piedmont. The first person in his family to go to college, Edwards worked his way through North Carolina State University and graduated with honors in 1974. He earned a law degree with honors in 1977 from the University of North Carolina. Drake Law School's Supreme Court Celebration honors the Iowa Supreme Court through a series of appellate advocacy competitions that culminate in hypothetical case arguments by Drake law students before the state's highest court. In addition to the Saturday banquet, there will be a Drake Journal of Agricultural Law Dinner today (Thursday, March 1). Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge will be the keynote speaker following a 6:30 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. dinner at the Des Moines Club in downtown Des Moines. Judge is expected to discuss the future of agriculture in Iowa and legal issues facing Iowa farmers.