Pictured Above: Photo illustration of Carl Bolch, Jr. and Susan Bass Bolch with the Duke Law School/Bolch Judicial Institute sign.
Duke University has received a $10 million gift from RaceTrac, a 90-year-old Atlanta-based convenience store leader, to expand the work of the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School, a center of learning for judges, lawyers, and students that aims to advance principles such as judicial independence and the rule of law.
The gift will honor the legacy of RaceTrac’s chairman emeritus, Carl Bolch, Jr., and his wife Susan Bass Bolch, who established the Bolch Judicial Institute in 2018 with an inaugural $10 million gift.
“As we celebrate Duke University’s Centennial year and look ahead to the tremendous promise of our second century, this gift in support of the Bolch Judicial Institute will significantly enhance our commitment to advance the rule of law through education and outreach,” said Duke University President Vincent E. Price. “We are grateful to Carl and Susan Bolch for their original vision and philanthropic support for this work, and to RaceTrac for this gift that will expand the Institute’s impact.”
The gift will allow the Institute to substantially expand programs for international judges, to develop new domestic and international civic education programs that build public trust and understanding of the role and responsibilities of judges, and to enhance and support current programs, including the Institute’s master of laws program for sitting judges and publications, conferences, symposia, and workshops for and about the judiciary.
“We are grateful to Carl and Susan Bolch for their original vision and philanthropic support for this work, and to RaceTrac for this gift that will expand the Institute’s impact.” — President Price
The gift will result in an extra lift for the Institute because it is a matching gift, meaning the company will match endowment funds raised by the Institute — up to $10 million. By directing the gift to endowment funds, RaceTrac will provide a foundation for the Institute’s continued growth in perpetuity.
“We are so pleased that RaceTrac has chosen to honor Carl and Susan Bolch by supporting the Bolch Judicial Institute,” said Kerry Abrams, the James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean of the School of Law and Distinguished Professor of Law. “This gift is a tremendous vote of confidence in the Institute’s efforts to advance the rule of law. It is also a fitting tribute to Carl and Susan, whose vision continues to guide the Institute’s work to provide educational opportunities for judges, study and advance judicial independence and the rule of law, and mobilize judges, lawyers, scholars, and students in efforts to improve the administration of justice in our country and around the world.”
In addition to honoring Carl and Susan Bolch, RaceTrac’s gift honors the legacy of the Institute’s inaugural and now emeritus director, David F. Levi. Levi became the Institute’s director in 2018 after serving for 11 years as the dean of Duke Law School. Prior to serving as dean, he was chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. He is now the president of the American Law Institute.
“This gift is a tremendous vote of confidence in the institute’s efforts to advance the rule of law.” — Dean Abrams
“I can’t think of a better way to honor Carl and Susan’s foresight and vision or David Levi’s role in positioning the Bolch Institute as a leading force for defending the rule of law and judicial independence,” said Paul W. Grimm, the David F. Levi Professor of the Practice of Law, director of the Bolch Judicial Institute and a retired judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. “This gift provides a framework for dramatically enhancing the Institute’s foundation for the future and ensuring that the Bolch Institute’s impact and leadership will only multiply in the years to come. By providing for the Institute’s continual growth, this gift ensures that we can fulfill our mission of protecting the rule of law even as courts and judges adapt to and address dramatic changes, such as the explosive growth of generative AI, increasing threats to judicial independence, and shifting public attitudes toward democratic institutions.”
The Bolch Judicial Institute builds on more than 13 years of judicial education and programming at Duke Law School, beginning in 2011 with the Master’s in Judicial Studies LLM program and supported by a $5 million endowment gift from The Duke Endowment to create a center of judicial training and study of the judiciary at Duke Law. Today, the Bolch Judicial Institute is home to a wide range of programs that provide unique educational opportunities for sitting judges in the United States and around the globe; advance research and scholarship about the judiciary; and develop civic education initiatives to improve public understanding of the courts and the rule of law.
In addition to the Master’s in Judicial Studies degree program, the Bolch Judicial Institute publishes Judicature, Duke’s scholarly journal on judging, develops conferences and seminars that bring together lawyers, judges, and scholars to examine challenges and develop solutions for improving and advancing the administration of justice, and awards the Bolch Prize for the Rule of Law and the Raphael Lemkin Rule of Law Guardian Medal, which honor individuals and organizations who demonstrate extraordinary dedication to the rule of law.
“At RaceTrac, we believe in the power of community and education to drive positive change,” said Melanie Isbill, chief brand officer at RaceTrac. “The Bolch Judicial Institute’s commitment to advancing legal education and fostering justice inspires us all and aligns with our mission to support initiatives that enhance the well-being of our society.”
When they established the Bolch Judicial Institute in 2018, Carl and Susan Bolch discussed how they came to see the rule of law as the underpinning for their business success. After graduating from law school at Duke in 1967, Carl took over his father’s business operating a brand of convenience stores. One of Bolch’s first big decisions in his new role was to allow customers to self-pump gasoline. Self-service gasoline was unheard of at the time, and in some states it was barred by law.
“People said I would lose money, that customers would just drive off after pumping gas,” Bolch said during a 2018 interview. But he pressed on, making his gas stations the first in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida to offer self-service and working to change laws where needed. And people didn’t drive off. They pumped their gas, came inside to pay — and bought other items while inside, he said. “We not only didn’t lose money, but it was also the best business decision I ever made,” Bolch said.
“Judicature magazine, our unique master’s degree for sitting judges, our civics education initiatives, and the Bolch and Lemkin Prizes all shine light on those who devote their lives to the rule of law.” — Susan Bolch
Bolch credited that success to the rule of law, which protects fundamental individual and property rights, creates a culture in which people understand the repercussions for breaking the law and establishes a moral code of behavior that the vast majority of us not only observe but cherish.
Today RaceTrac is a $17-billion family business operating more than 800 RaceTrac and RaceWay branded stores across 14 states. RaceTrac is the 24th largest privately held company in the United States according to Forbes and employs more than 10,500 team members across RaceTrac, RaceWay and affiliated companies Metroplex Energy, Energy Dispatch and Gulf Oil.
“The incredible work of the Bolch Judicial Institute could not be timelier,” said Susan Bolch. “Judicature magazine, our unique master’s degree for sitting judges, our civics education initiatives, and the Bolch and Lemkin Prizes all shine light on those who devote their lives to the rule of law. We are confident that the Institute will continue to strengthen what is best in our civilization, both domestically and abroad.”