Van Susteren also made reference to the law school rankings of U.S. News and World Report, which for the past two years have placed Harvard Law School in third place behind Yale and Stanford, but said practicing lawyers almost universally recognize Harvard as the nation's top law school.

The Class Day ceremony also included the presentation of the Sacks-Freund teaching award to Tribe--the first time he has been so honored in his years at the school.

Tribe said that he had for years hoped to win the award, as he particularly values and focuses on teaching, and said he was overjoyed when he learned that he had been chosen for it this year.

"It feels absolutely wonderful to feel well liked," Tribe said, paraphrasing from the play ****ITAL****Death of a Salesman.

The award concludes a very busy academic year for Tribe, during which he argued for Al Gore '69 in the case Gore v. Bush in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. He made a light-hearted reference to this case in his remarks upon receiving the award.

"I take pride in that I appear to have won it in what seems a free and fair election, uninterrupted by Catherine Harris or Jeb Bush," he said.

Prior to the Class Day ceremony, the Law School's Alumni Association gave Reno their annual award. The award is given annually to an alumnus or alumna in recognition of distinguished service to the law school, the legal profession and society at large.

--Crimson Staff Writer Daniel P. Mosteller can be reached at dmostell@fas.harvard.edu