The Cleveland State University College of Law community mourns the passing of Professor Emeritus Thomas D. Buckley, a distinguished teacher, scholar, and civil liberties advocate who devoted more than four decades to the education of CSU Law students.
Professor Buckley joined the faculty of what was then the Cleveland‑Marshall College of Law in the early 1970s and taught for more than forty years before retiring as Professor Emeritus. During his long tenure he taught courses including constitutional law, commercial law, and creditors’ rights, earning the respect of generations of students for his intellectual rigor and deep commitment to the principles of justice and constitutional governance.
Before joining the CSU Law faculty, Buckley served as a visiting professor at Boston University School of Law and later as associate director and executive director of the National Institute for Education in Law and Poverty in Chicago. His career reflected a lifelong dedication to civil rights and access to justice.
He was also active in the civil liberties community in Cleveland, volunteering with the ACLU and arguing a significant case before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of the Socialist Workers Party of Ohio. The Court’s decision in Brown v. Socialist Workers Party, recognizing a minor‑party exception to campaign finance disclosure requirements, remains an important precedent protecting political association and free expression.
Born July 7, 1937, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Professor Buckley earned his undergraduate degree from Fordham University and his law degree from Yale Law School.
Throughout his career, Professor Buckley combined scholarship, advocacy, and teaching in a way that exemplified the values of Cleveland State University College of Law. His dedication to constitutional principles and to the students he mentored leaves a lasting legacy within the CSU Law community.
The College of Law extends its deepest condolences to Professor Buckley’s family, friends, colleagues, and the many former students whose lives he influenced.