George Mason University Law School will be renamed after the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The law school, located just outside of the nation’s capital in Arlington, Virginia, announced Thursday that it would soon be called the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
School officials also announced Thursday afternoon that it had received $30 million from two donors. The Charles Koch Foundation donated $10 million to have the name changed. An anonymous donor gave $20 million.
The donations will go toward three new scholarship programs, including one named after Scalia granted to students with "excellent academic credentials."
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a close friend to Scalia during his time serving on the Supreme Court, lauded the decision in a statement.
"May the funds for scholarships, faculty growth, and curricular development aid the Antonin Scalia School of Law to achieve the excellence characteristic of Justice Scalia, grand master in life and law," she said.
George Mason University’s board of directors voted Thursday to approve the name change. The public law school will need the consent from Virginia’s higher education oversight agency to finalize the rename, but approval is expected.
Scalia died Feb. 13 while visiting friends during a hunting trip in Texas. He was the high court’s leading conservative and was known for his strict interpretations of the U.S. Constitution.