Ever since Cisselon Nichols Hurd, ’91, was a child, she’s had a penchant for debate. As a child, her mother would often hush her complaints by saying, “Oh, don’t make a federal case out of it.” When, in 1995, Hurd was sworn in as an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, prosecuting environmental crimes, her mother was on hand for the ceremony. “Well, you’ve paid your dues,” Hurd recalled her mother saying. “Now you can make a federal case out of it!” Read more.