During Reunion Weekend 2026, the Law School unveiled a portrait honoring Geoffrey R. Stone, ’71, a nationally renowned First Amendment and constitutional law scholar and academic leader who has taught at the Law School for more than a half century.

The portrait, which will hang in the classroom corridor alongside others of the Law School’s most influential figures, recognizes Stone’s wide-ranging contributions as a scholar, former dean of the Law School, former provost of the University, and chair of the committee that in 2015 drafted and released the highly acclaimed Stone Report, popularly referred to as the Chicago Principles. These academic free expression principles have since been adopted and adapted by universities across the country.

“Today we are honoring one of our most accomplished alums and one of our most distinguished faculty members, Geof Stone,” noted Dean Adam Chilton in his opening remarks at the May 2 event in the Law School auditorium.

Reflecting on Stone’s pivotal role in developing the Chicago Principles, Chilton said, “Nothing makes me prouder—and more committed to the University of Chicago—than the words in the Stone Report.” 

Chilton emphasized the enduring significance of those principles, particularly their insistence that “the university guarantees all members of the university community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.” In an era when many institutions were grappling with how to respond to controversial speech, Chilton noted, Stone helped articulate a framework that reaffirmed the University’s core commitments.

Speakers at the event traced that commitment across Stone’s career, from his days as a student in the late 1960s to his role as a leading voice on free expression in higher education.

A Leader with ‘an Innate Grasp' of the Law

Jeffrey Jahns, ’71, a retired Seyfarth Shaw partner and former classmate of Stone, offered a vivid portrait of the legendary professor as a law student during a turbulent period marked by the Vietnam War and political unrest. Even then, Jahns recalled, Stone stood out for his intellectual confidence and range.

“Geof had a grasp of the structure of law then, as he certainly does now—almost an innate grasp,” Jahns said, describing Stone as a student who combined rigorous academic engagement with a wide array of interests and friendships. 

Jahns also highlighted Stone’s early leadership, including his tenure as editor-in-chief of the Law Review, where he balanced demanding editorial responsibilities with an ability to bring out the best in others. “He had a light touch as editor and managed the diverse Law Review crew with the simple expectation that everyone did their job with a quality and passion equal to his,” Jahns said.

A Mentor to Generations of Scholars

For Suzanna Sherry, ’79, the Herman O. Loewenstein Chair in Law Emerita at Vanderbilt University Law School, Stone’s influence extended far beyond the classroom. A former student of Stone, Sherry described him as a mentor whose lessons shaped her own four-decade academic career.

“Students can tell whether you enjoy teaching and whether you care about whether they’re learning,” Sherry said. “And it was crystal clear… that he did love teaching, and that the most important thing to him… was that his students learn.” 

She also recounted a formative experience early in her career, when Stone returned a draft of her scholarly work “absolutely covered” in edits. “It was an extremely humbling experience,” she said. “But you know what? It was a much improved piece.” 

That approach—demanding but generous—became a model she carried forward in her own teaching and mentorship, a testament to Stone’s influence across generations of legal scholars.

An Indelible Mark on the Law School’s Culture

David A. Strauss, the Gerald Ratner Distinguished Service Professor of Law, and fellow constitutional law scholar, spoke as a longtime colleague, reflecting on Stone’s role in shaping not just individuals but the Law School’s intellectual culture.

“One big challenge for an academic institution… is to be civilized, mutually respectful, and intellectually open, but at the same time rigorous,” Strauss said. “Geof insisted that our culture had both of those qualities.” 

Strauss credited Stone with helping to create UChicago’s distinctive environment that combines seriousness about ideas with a spirit of generosity and respect. That ethos, he noted, underpins both the Chicago Principles and the Law School’s day-to-day academic life.

Stone’s daughters, Mollie and Julie Stone, removed the drapery from the portrait of their father, drawing sustained applause from the audience.

In brief remarks following the unveiling, Professor Stone reflected on his own path to a lifetime of teaching and scholarship at the Law School.

“I never imagined when I was a student that I would become a law professor,” he said, recalling how he initially resisted an invitation to join the faculty before ultimately accepting. 

What followed, he said, exceeded any expectations he might have had.

“It has been such a privilege and an honor to be a professor at this law school for 53 years now,” Stone said, pointing to the intellectual vitality of his colleagues and the curiosity of generations of students.

At the conclusion of the program, the gathered alumni, colleagues, former students, friends, and family honored Stone with a standing ovation.