8. Xi Jinping
Jinping, 59, is the president of China. He is a graduate of Tsinghua University, where he received his LL.D. Jinping’s Time 100 write-up, by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, notes that the Chinese leader’s foreign policy decisions may “determine the world’s future.” Let’s hope it works out for the best.
9. Elena Kagan
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Justice Kagan’s Time 100 profile was written by Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court. Of Kagan, 52, O’Connor notes that the former Solicitor General “has what it takes to be a highly influential” member of the high court. Kagan, an “incisive legal thinker,” once served as dean of Harvard Law School — her alma mater, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1986. Kagan has never married and has no children, which has led some to speculate about her sexual orientation (but it shouldn’t really matter). Here’s a fun fact for our readers: in her free time, Kagan enjoys hunting game with Justice Antonin Scalia.
10. Susana Martinez
As the governor of New Mexico, Martinez was once considered a possibility as Mitt Romney’s running mate in Election 2012. Martinez, 53, is the first Latina governor in the country, and serves as the first female governor of her state. She studied law at the University of Oklahoma, and worked as a district attorney for 14 years of her career. This “reform-minded conservative” is expected to gain even more political clout if she’s re-elected to her governmental position in 2014.
11. Mary Nichols
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Since 2007, Nicols, 68, has served as the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, and she’s a true environmentalist at heart and in her work. She received her juris doctor from Yale Law School, and once worked as the Assistant Administrator of Air and Radiation for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She currently holds a professor-in-residence position at the UCLA School of Law.
12. Barack Obama
This is President Obama’s eighth mention on the Time 100 (seven of which have been in consecutive years, from 2007-2013). Obama, 51, is the 44th President of the United States, and according to his profile, written by former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Obama has put this nation on “course for a better future.” Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. The president was able to pay off his student loans in 2004, which means we’ll all have to hope for book deals, and quickly at that.
13. Michelle Obama
A husband and wife duo on the Time 100? That’s adorable! At 49, the First Lady has many achievements under her belt. She studied law at Harvard, making her only the third FLOTUS with a postgraduate degree. She once worked at Sidley Austin before moving on to public sector positions. She’s become a fashion icon, and as Maya Angelou notes, Michelle Obama, “with her grace, her gentleness and her sense of humor,” successfully made an entire nation care about childhood obesity… and about her bangs. Let us not forget the importance of this woman’s bangs.
14. Travis Tygart
Tygart, 42, is the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. As profile writer Dick Pound remarks, “The measure of a man who does his duty is not what others think of him but his own commitment to doing what is right.” Tygart thought he was doing the right thing when he accused storied athlete Lance Armstrong of doping, and as a result, earned significant time in the legal limelight due to the scandal. Tygart studied law at Southern Methodist University, where he graduated Order of the Coif.
Finally, we’ve got two bonus law-related honorees. Hilary Mantel, best known for her writing, graduated with a Bachelor of Jurisprudence from the University of Sheffield. Andrew Sheng, an economist, holds an honorary law degree from the University of Bristol.
Did we miss any lawyers or law-related honorees on the Time 100? If so, please let us know by email or in the comments.
Congratulations to all the lawyers who made the Time 100. These worthy attorneys stand as living proof that you truly can do anything with a law degree.
The 100 Most Influential People in the World [TIME]
Earlier: The Most Influential Lawyers in the World: Attorneys on the Time 100