News - March 2007
1L Kate Wagner wins U.S. Government FLAS Fellowship to study Ukrainian
March 27, 2007
First-year Michigan Law student Kate Wagner was recently named winner of a U.S. Department of Education-funded Foreign Languages and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship to pursue her study of Ukrainian at the University of Michigan. Wagner was nominated by the Law School and selected by U-M’s Center for Russian and East European Studies (CREES), which is a component of the University’s acclaimed International Institute. FLAS Fellowships include full tuition, mandatory fees, and a $15,000 stipend. The Law School will be providing an additionally supportive grant during her Fellowship period.
Born in Oxford, England, Wagner is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Haverford College with a B.A. in Political Science. She also holds an M.Phil. in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford where she was a member of St. Antony’s College. Her studies have further included programs at Harvard’s Ukrainian Summer Institute and the University of Freiburg (Germany). From 2001 – 2003, Kate was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, teaching secondary school in Yuzhne. She has also been an election observer for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe during Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections. In addition to English, her languages include Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, and German.
Prior to inception of the FLAS Fellowship, Wagner will be a legal intern this summer at the AIRE Centre in London (Advice on Individual Rights in Europe), with which Michigan Law has a longstanding affiliation. The AIRE Centre provides information and advice on international human rights law to legal practitioners throughout Europe.
“I came to Michigan Law because of the School’s international law opportunities,” said Wagner, “so I could both continue my research and pursue a career in public international law and legal development.” Enhanced proficiency in Ukrainian will further her ability to work in rule of law development in Ukraine and more broadly in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet region.
Laycock to deliver keynote address at WVU Law conference on law and religion
March 26, 2007
Doug Laycock, the Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School, will present a keynote address on “Substantive Neutrality Revisited” as part of West Virginia University College of Law’s conference on “The Religion Clauses in the 21st Century” on April 12th – 13th in Morgantown, WV.
Participating with Laycock at the conference will be some of the nation’s most respected law and religion scholars who will treat subjects such as: Should taxpayer money be used to fund faith-based social services? Should there be limits on the rights of public school children to express themselves religiously during the school day? Should religious groups be exempted from anti-discrimination laws that govern everyone else?
Doug Laycock joined the University of Michigan Law School faculty in Fall 2006 and is one of the nation’s leading authorities on the law of remedies and the law of religious liberty. He has testified many times before Congress about issues of religious liberty and argued numerous cases in the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Laycock is author of the leading casebook Modern American Remedies: Cases and Materials (Aspen, 3d ed. 2002); the award-winning monograph, The Death of the Irreparable Injury Rule (Oxford, 1991); and articles in Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, Supreme Court Review, and elsewhere. He is a member of the Council of the American Law Institute and an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
He earned his B.A. from Michigan State University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. Prior to coming to Michigan Law, he was associate dean for research and the Alice McKean Young Regents Chair at the University of Texas Law School in Austin and a Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School.
For further information about the conference, please visit:
http://www.wvu.edu/~law/religionclause/program.htm
Matt Latimer '95 named Presidential speechwriter
March 22, 2007
The President has named Matt Latimer to be Special Assistant to the President for Speechwriting. Mr. Latimer previously served as Chief Speechwriter for the Secretary of Defense at the Department of Defense. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, his master's degree from Columbia University, and his JD from the University of Michigan Law School.
Jim Hathaway's book on refugee law earns major award
March 22, 2007
James C. Hathaway's book, The Rights of Refugees under International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2005) was recently selected by the American Society of International Law to receive its Certificate of Merit. The award, initiated in 1952, is designed to recognize "the most distinguished work in the field of international law in the current year or in the immediately preceding year." Hathaway's award comes on the heels of previous Michigan Law-affiliated recipients including Harold Jacobson (2004), Christine Chinkin (2001), Steve Ratner (1998), Bruno Simma (1996), and Alex Aleinikoff (1986).
This book presents the first comprehensive analysis of the human rights of refugees as set by the UN Refugee Convention. In an era where States are increasingly challenging the logic of simply assimilating refugees to their own citizens, questions are now being raised about whether refugees should be allowed to enjoy freedom of movement, to work, to access public welfare programs, or to be reunited with family members. Doubts have been expressed about the propriety of exempting refugees from visa and other immigration rules, and whether there is a duty to admit refugees at all. Hathaway links the standards of the UN Refugee Convention to key norms of international human rights law, and applies his analysis to the world's most difficult protection challenges. This is a critical resource for advocates, judges, and policymakers and a pioneering scholarly work for graduate students of international and human rights law.
Michigan Law S.J.D. student to clerk at International Court of Justice
March 22, 2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has selected Noam Wiener, Michigan Law LL.M. 2006 and current S.J.D. student, for its nine month university traineeship program beginning in September 2007. Mr. Wiener was chosen through a highly competitive process in which a select group of academic institutions are eligible to nominate student candidates. The Hague-based Court then makes a final selection of clerks, taking into consideration overall academic strength, including public international law, demonstrated ability in research and writing, and French language proficiency. Mr. Wiener has been awarded a fellowship from the Law School for his traineeship on the Court.
Wiener will be Michigan's fifth student at the ICJ in the four years the School has entered the competition and one of two graduate student clerks; three others have been Michigan Law J.D.s. Approximately eight other law schools participate – Columbia, Yale, Georgetown, Virginia, NYU, McGill, Strasbourg, and Geneva – with one nominee usually selected from each school. The Law School acknowledges the invaluable assistance of Judge Bruno Simma of the International Court of Justice, and a member of Michigan Law’s Overseas Affiliated Faculty, in making it possible for Michigan students to apply for this opportunity.
Noam Wiener was awarded an LL.M. (’06) from Michigan Law and also holds an LL.B (’01) from Tel-Aviv University Law School and a B.A. in Political Science (’01) from Tel-Aviv University. He is currently a doctoral student in Michigan Law’s S.J.D. program under the supervision of Professor Steven Ratner. Mr. Wiener is a recipient of a Michigan Law School Grotius Scholarship and has served as an Articles Editor on the Michigan Journal of International Law.
Michigan Law's Sherman Clark participates in March 28 panel discussion on athletes' ethical obligations
Sherman Clark, U-M Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of Kinesiology, will speak to the question of what, if any, special obligations athletes have, given their status as public role models. Joining Clark in the March 28th forum will be James Jackson, Director of U-M’s Institute for Social Research; Carol Hutchins, Head Softball Coach at Michigan; Jamie Morris, former U-M football player; and Michael Rosenberg, Detroit Free Press sports columnist.
The panel discussion will take place 7 – 9 pm, March 28, in the Michigan Union’s Kuenzel Room. The session is free and open to the public and refreshments will be provided.
Examples of the ethical questions to be addressed include:
- Should we evaluate athletes in their personal lives – for instance, relationships, financial dealings?
- Should athletes be held to different ethical standards than non-athletes?
- How do we expect athletes to conduct themselves?
- Why would it be important, if at all, to expect athletes to exhibit ethical behavior?
The Forum is sponsored by Students for Ethics, a subgroup of U-M President Mary Sue Coleman’s Ethics in Public Life Initiative. Further information is available at www.umich.edu/pres/ethics/events or by contacting Elizabeth Mann, Students for Ethics leader, at manneliz@umich.edu.
Assistant Dean Virginia Gordan announces new Geneva study abroad opportunity
March 13, 2007
The University of Michigan Law School has developed a new semester study abroad opportunity with the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI) in Geneva for up to two students each academic year as part of a new student exchange. This opportunity will begin in fall 2007 and students may attend either semester. The language of instruction is English and French.
HEI, an independent graduate school within the University of Geneva, is thought to be the best international law and relations institute on the continent and offers an opportunity for Michigan Law students to study at a distinguished institution located in a dynamic and cosmopolitan international center.
Geneva is synonymous with world-class culture, food, parks, and shopping. Easily accessible -- the French and Swiss Alps are close by and Paris, Milan, and the Mediterranean are reachable within about 4 hours by high-speed train -- its close-in airport has numerous non-stops flights to cities in Europe and worldwide. No other foreign city has as strong a presence of international organizations as Geneva. With scores of official agencies and organizations and dozens of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) based in and around Geneva, it's truly an international city, bringing together policymakers, diplomats, advocates, and many other professionals whose work focuses on the most challenging global issues of the day. The website for HEI can be found at: http://hei.unige.ch/ . Further information will shortly be available on our website.
Butch Carpenter Memorial Banquet Honors Scholar-Athlete and Funds Scholarships
March 9, 2007
To honor the memory of law student leader, scholar, and varsity athlete Alden J. “Butch” Carpenter, Michigan Law’s Black Law Students Alliance (BLSA) is hosting the 29th Annual Butch Carpenter Memorial Scholarship Banquet on March 24, 2007 and invites the community to attend. The event will be held at the Four Points Sheraton Ann Arbor with a 6:30 pm reception and dinner at 7:30.
Funds raised at the banquet support scholarships awarded to three outstanding first-year law students. Last year, those scholarships amounted to $35,000 of aid.
Butch Carpenter was born in Flint, Michigan, graduated from Flint Southwestern High School, and received a scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he played football and completed his education.
His father, Sam Carpenter, was inducted into the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame in 1997, and his brother Brian played for the University of Michigan, was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, and ended his career with the Washington Redskins in their Super Bowl appearance.
For three years, Butch started as a Michigan defensive end and was captain of the team that completed an undefeated regular season. Following graduation, he matriculated at The University of Michigan Law School and demonstrated the same leadership, aptitude, and commitment that marked his stellar athletic career. His untimely death on February 2, 1978 – Butch collapsed while playing basketball – stunned and deeply aggrieved the community. Shortly thereafter, BLSA established the Alden J. "Butch" Carpenter Memorial Fund, which assists first year law students at the University of Michigan who are active members of BLSA.
Because banquet seating is limited, BLSA suggests reservations be made by March 16th. Reservation information can be obtained online at http://students.law.umich.edu/blsa, or by emailing ButchCarpenter2007@umich.edu. Questions about the Alden “Butch” Carpenter Memorial Scholarship Banquet may be directed to Robert F. Harmon, Jr. at rfharmon@umich.edu.
Child Advocacy Law Clinic brings U.S. Senator, international experts, to its 30th Anniversary Symposium, March 29 - April 1
As the oldest such clinic in the U.S., the University of Michigan Law School’s Child Advocacy Law Clinic (CALC) will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a cutting-edge symposium held from March 29th through April 1st at the Law School. Events commence on Thursday evening, March 29th, with remarks by Don Duquette, Clinical Professor of Law, founding director of the Child Advocacy Law Clinic, and a leading international authority on child welfare and advocacy, followed by a talk from John E.B. Myers, Professor of Law at the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific.
Friday speakers and moderators include U.S. and international legal scholars and practitioners, jurists, representatives of organizations such as the UN Committee on Children, ABA, ACLU, and others, as well as academicians and child advocacy experts. The Symposium’s Saturday evening March 31st celebratory dinner and keynote address – delivered by U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) – will be held at the Kensington Court, 610 Hilton Boulevard in Ann Arbor, and is the only event scheduled outside the Law School.
For more information and to register for the Symposium, please refer to the 30th Anniversary Symposium website at: www.law.umich.edu/CALC30thanniversary or contact Alicia Lixey at (734) 763-6750. To view the program and schedule, click on http://law40.adsroot.itcs.umich.edu/michiganlaw/CentersandPrograms/clinical/calc/anniversary/schedule.htm
For further information on the Child Advocacy Law Clinic and its work, please see:
http://law40.adsroot.itcs.umich.edu/michiganlaw/CentersandPrograms/clinical/calc/index.htm.