The New York Times cites the Cornell Law Review article, “De-Policing,” written by Professor Stephen Rushin and University of Alabama Birmingham Professor Griffin Edwards.
“In a paper soon to be published, they examine what happens to local crime rates when police departments come to the attention of the federal government for systematically violating civil rights, or, in more extreme cases, become subject to federal oversight and reform. Because such oversight is a form of criticism, it offers a test case of the thesis that increased scrutiny of the police leads to more crime.”
For more, read “Is There a ‘Ferguson Effect’?”
University of Alabama School of Law students conducted critical outreach to pre-law students at The Third Annual National HBCU Pre-Law Diversity Summit and Expo at the Georgia State University College of Law in Atlanta.
Briana Knox (’17) and Samantha Pline (’17) spoke on the LSAT Success Strategies panel where they shared their stories of how they excelled at being able to score high on the LSAT. Neena Speer (’17) served as a moderator on the HBCU Law School Experience panel as a past HBCU alumni from from Howard University. Speer also served as a team leader for the conference this year and an advisor for pre-law students for the one-on-one conferences.
Professor Pam Bucy Pierson discusses Acting Chief Justice Lyn Stuart, who replaced former Chief Justice Roy Moore, with Fox 6 in Birmingham and NBC 12 in Montgomery.
Professor Ronald Krotoszynski is quoted in The Los Angeles Times about the Solomonic resolution that effectively removed Chief Justice Roy Moore from office.
“The practical effect is, I think, indistinguishable in that he will no longer to be able to hear and decide cases as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the state of Alabama,” Krotoszynski said.
For more, read “‘Not Going to Miss the Ayatollah of Alabama’: State’s Chief Justice Ousted over Anti-Gay-Marriage Order.”
Professor Ronald Krotoszynski is quoted in The Christian Science Monitor about ethics charges filed against Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore.
“I think the big picture here is that law isn’t politics and politics isn’t the law,” Krotoszynski said. “As a political matter, the chief justice can oppose Obergefell, argue it’s wrongly decided, and propose an amendment to the federal Constitution. But as the chief justice of Alabama, there’s no meritorious argument here.”
For more, read “Why Roy Moore, Alabama’s Chief Justice, Could Be Removed — Again.”
The University of Alabama School of Law is offering 13 online CLE programs on how to thrive in the new legal marketplace. The CLE program are part of The Business of Being a Lawyer series, and they focus on economics, emotional intelligence, and finances. The Business of Being a Lawyer course was created by Professor Pam Bucy Pierson with the help of over 100 lawyers.
The course focuses on:
ECONOMIC TRENDS
Emerging technology, evolving business models of law office practice, virtual law practices, new approaches to delivering client services including limited scope representation, legal services apps and interactive websites, project management, alternative billing arrangements.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Applying the science of psychology to EQ challenges faced by lawyers including managing stress, building resilience, maintaining balance, and using one’s strengths.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
The average lawyer changes jobs 7 times in a career. Being nimble financially is one of the keys to being an effective free agent throughout one’s career. Practical tips and resources for managing student loan debt, analyzing the financial calculus of career decisions, budgeting, savings, and retirement decisions.
The programs are approved for credit in Alabama and Texas. All proceeds will be donated to UA law student scholarships.
To learn more about the program, watch a short trailer. Order the course via CLE Alabama.
Scholars visited The University of Alabama School of Law for Human Rights and Legal Judgments: The American Story Symposium.
The conference brought together scholars to track the various ways that American law recognizes and responds to claims made in the name of human rights as well as the way they are treated in political and cultural discourse.
The symposium featured:
William Brewbaker, The University of Alabama School of Law
Erika George, S. J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah
Stephen A. Simon, University of Richmond, Political Science
David Sloss, Santa Clara University School of Law
Cynthia Soohoo, CUNY School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal awarded Attica Locke, author of “Pleasantville,” the 2016 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The ceremony was held at the Library of Congress.
Locke is the sixth winner of the prize. The prize, authorized by Lee, is given annually to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change. “Pleasantville” was chosen by a distinguished panel of writers. They are: Dr. Philip Beidler, author and professor of English, University of Alabama; Helen Ellis, author of“American Housewife”; Homer Hickam, author of “Rocket Boys”; Rheta Grimsley Johnson, author, journalist and syndicated columnist; and Angela Johnson, author of “Wind Flyers” and “Heaven.”
Locke received a signed special edition of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and a $3,000 cash award. She also will be featured in The ABA Journal.
Renowned legal scholars visited the University of Alabama School of Law today for the Meador Lectures.
The 2016 lecture series focused on the topic of Identity and included lectures by Professors Richard Delgado, The University of Alabama School of Law; Janet Halley, Harvard Law School; Saul Levmore, The University of Chicago Law School; and Elyn Saks, USC Gould School of Law.
The Law School established the Meador Lectures in 1995 to honor graduate and former Dean, Daniel J. Meador, who delivered the inaugural lecture.
Since 2004-05, the lecture series has focused on a single interdisciplinary theme with a premier group of scholars discussing that theme from their distinct scholarly perspectives. Recent topics have included Equality, Morality, Rationality, Wealth, and Freedom. The Meador Lectures are sponsored by the law school’s Program on Cross-Disciplinary Legal Studies.
Professor Jenny Carroll is quoted in NorthJersey.com about a state appeals court’s decision to overturn a series of hate crime convictions for Dharun Ravi, a former Rutgers University student who used a webcam to record his roommate.
In State v. Pomianek, the New Jersey Supreme Court invalidated a key section of the state’s bias intimidation law because of how the legislature had drafted it.
The Supreme Court said it would be unreasonable to convict someone “not based on what he was thinking but rather on his failure to appreciate what the victim was thinking.”
“That’s a classic problem that’s confronted in criminal law,” Carroll said. “Criminal law tends to focus on, ‘What exactly was the defendant’s intent and was it malicious?’ ”
For more, read “Convictions in Rutgers Bias Case Overturned.”
