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News Archive
2L Avani Bhatt wins $15,000 McDermott Will & Emery Minority Scholarship
Michigan Law's Avani Bhatt was named one of two winners of McDermott Will & Emery (MWE) Minority Scholarships, the firm announced yesterday. Bhatt and co-winner Ateet Adhikari, a University of Illinois law student, are the first recipients of the $15,000 scholarships.
Dean's Statement on the Passage of Proposal 2
To Members of the Michigan Law Family:
As many of you know by now, Michigan's ballot Proposal 2, also known as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, has been approved by the electorate and is set to become legally effective in late December. This proposal amends the state constitution to prohibit programs that "grant preferential treatment" to individuals or groups "on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting."
3L Challenge Sets New Record
The Nannes Third-Year Challenge, a fundraising initiative that teaches graduating students the importance of alumni giving to the Law School, recently surpassed its goal for the second year in a row.
Catharine MacKinnon receives Outstanding Scholar Award from American Bar Foundation
Catharine A. MacKinnon, the Elizabeth A. Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School, will receive the American Bar Foundation's Outstanding Scholar Award at the American Bar Association's February 10, 2007 meeting in Miami, Florida.
Michigan's Law and Business Schools Co-Sponsor Sarbanes-Oxley Impact Conference
In conjunction with the Michigan Law Review, and the assistance of faculty Vic Khanna (Law) and Cindy Schipani (Business), the University of Michigan Law School and Ross School of Business are sponsoring The Louis & Myrtle Moskowitz Conference on the Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on Doing Business. The conference will be held at the Law School on November 9-10, 2006.
Michigan Law's Perspective: The Supreme Court was right, Roger Clegg is wrong
Three years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States found that the University of Michigan Law School’s admissions policy is both legal and fair. Now Roger Clegg, President of the Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO), disputes that finding and cites data claiming that the Law School is being unfair to whites and Asians in favor of blacks and Hispanics. It’s therefore important the public understand that Mr. Clegg is not only wrong, but has done a great injustice to one of America's finest law schools.
Scott's Degrees of Freedom garners yet more awards
Rebecca Scott's Degrees of Freedom: Louisiana and Cuba After Slavery (Harvard University Press, 2005) not only won the $25,000 Frederick Douglass Book Prize, sponsored by Yale's Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, but has recently earned two additional awards.
Michael Barr addresses the high cost of being poor
In a panel discussion hosted by former U.S. Senator and Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards, Michigan Law Professor Michael Barr said "We have to totally transform the financial services sector for low-income people. We have to change the structure of banks."
National Intelligence Civil Liberties Officer, Alex Joel ’87, visits Michigan Law on October 12
Alex Joel, a magna cum laude graduate of Michigan Law, returns to his alma mater on Thursday, October 12th to speak to the Law School community. His Inspiring Paths presentation is sponsored by the Office of Public Service and will be held from 12:20 – 1:15 pm in room 250, Hutchins Hall.
Beny’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony suggests potential harms of insider trading
In written testimony provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 26, Michigan Law Professor Laura N. Beny presented empirical evidence that unlawful insider trading might be harmful to stock market performance. Specifically, Beny’s research "looking at stock markets in various countries and utilizing correlations and multiple regression analysis" found that countries with more stringent insider trading laws had a) more dispersed equity ownership; b) more liquid stock markets; and c) more informative stock prices.
APALSA Announces MCRI Lecture Series Speakers
APALSA, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, with thirteen co-sponsoring student organizations at the University of Michigan Law School, is pleased to announce a 4-part lecture series on the forthcoming Michigan Civil Rights Ballot Initiative (MCRI).
Bill Miller named to prestigious Carnegie Centenary Professorship at St. Andrews University
William Ian Miller, Michigan Law’s Thomas G. Long Professor of Law, has been named a Carnegie Centenary Professor at St. Andrews University in Scotland. The award, in support of a visiting professorship, “is intended to benefit not only the host universities but also the Scottish University community as a whole.†The objective is to attract nominees "of the highest academic standing who will contribute to academic/scientific developments in the Scottish universities in their particular fields. Such senior scholars of high distinction, by their very presence, will confer benefits on the Scottish Universities."
Jessica Litman named IP³ award winner for consumer advocacy in personal media use
Public Knowledge President Gigi B. Sohn today announced that Michigan Law Professor Jessica Litman has been named one of three 2006 recipients of an IP³ award "presented to individuals who over the past year, or the course of a career, have advanced the public interest in one of three" fields: Intellectual Property, Information Policy, or Internet Protocol. The awards will be presented October 19, 2006 in Washington, D.C.
New York Times executive editor Bill Keller meets with Michigan Law students and faculty
On Tuesday, October 17th, at 11 am, New York Times executive editor Bill Keller will address law students and faculty and respond to their questions. He’ll be introduced by Associate Dean Kyle Logue.
Fred Furth ’59 – distinguished litigator, author, vintner, aviator, and philanthropist – talks with Michigan Law students on September 22nd
On Friday, September 22nd at 4 pm in 250 Hutchins Hall, Fred Furth will discuss his victory as plaintiffs’ attorney in the Furth Firm’s Alameda County, California suit against Wal-Mart, the world’s largest corporation, on the issue of denying employees lunch breaks. The suit alleged that Wal-Mart violated California’s mandatory meal break 8 million times between January 2001 and May 2005. In December 22, 2005, a California jury ordered Wal-Mart to pay $172 million in damages to more than 100,000 current and former employees.
Constitution Day brings Congressman John Dingell, Supreme Court video, and jurist-academic panel to the Michigan Law community
To celebrate the 219th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution, the University and Michigan Law have planned a number of events on September 18th, including an address by Congressman John Dingell (D-Mich). Known as the “Dean of the House†for both his contributions to that body and having the longest tenure among current members, the Congressman’s keynote address will commence at 4:00 pm in Rackham Assembly Hall, fourth floor.
Michigan Law’s Rebecca Scott wins $25,000 Frederick Douglass Book prize
Yale University’s Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition today announced that Rebecca J. Scott, Charles Gibson Distinguished University Professor of History and Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, has been selected as 2006 winner of the $25,000 Frederick Douglass Book Prize. Professor Scott won for her book Degrees of Freedom: Louisiana and Cuba after Slavery, published by Harvard University Press.
Larsen op-ed details and defends presidential signing statements
In an opinion article appearing in the September 13th Detroit News, Adjunct Michigan Law Professor Joan Larsen takes on the subject of presidential signing statements, arguing that they represent a critically important presidential vision of what the Constitution requires.
Horwitz Op-Ed Challenges Michigan Charities Legislation
In an opinion article appearing in the August 17th edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Michigan Law Assistant Professor Jill Horwitz, along with co-author Harvey Dale, Professor of Philanthropy and Law at NYU, criticized proposed Michigan legislation that will require courts to infer a Michigan charitable trust’s permanent charitable giving intent from its first years of spending.  That is, for a foundation established in Michigan, the courts could mandate that it spend its funds in Michigan and on the same type of recipients forever unless donors specifically say otherwise.
Niehoff op-ed argues for more media access to Michigan prisons
In a September 5th opinion article in The Detroit Free Press, Adjunct Professor Len Niehoff writes that since 2000, Michigan’s Department of Corrections has adopted a restrictive policy on allowing journalists’ cameras and tape recorders into its facilities – essentially permitted “only in limited, unique circumstances.†Not only does the policy refuse to detail or define “limited†and “unique,†but according to Niehoff, rests on a presumption of denying or constraining the public’s right to know – the exact antithesis of what democracy requires.
Michigan Law Sponsors Free Screening of Award Winning Documentary Lost Boys of Sudan
Lost Boys of Sudan, a critically acclaimed documentary that follows two Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America, is being brought to Ann Arbor by the University of Michigan Law School for a free 5 pm public screening at the Michigan Theater on Wednesday, September 27th. The screening will be hosted by Professor James Hathaway, Director of the University’s Program in Refugee and Asylum Law, and a leading authority on international refugee protection issues. He will be joined by the film’s director, Megan Mylan, and local Sudanese refugees from the Lost Boys group during a question and answer session immediately following the screening. The event is part of a national outreach campaign to raise local public awareness and support for refugees and the current crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
Chief Justice John Roberts names Jeffrey Minear, '82, top aide
Jeffrey P. Minear, senior litigation counsel and assistant to the Solicitor General, has been named by Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. as his new administrative assistant. In that role, Minear will serve as the Court’s chief of staff, aid the Chief Justice in his overall management of the Court, provide research, and monitor developments in judicial administration and court reform. Additionally, the administrative assistant assists the Chief Justice as head of the third branch of government.
Ratner Christian Science Monitor Op Ed urges that governmental consistency and concern for values drive enemy prisoner detention policy
In an August 8th Op Ed appearing in the Christian Science Monitor, Professor of Law Steven R. Ratner discusses implications of the Supreme Court’s Hamdan v. Rumsfeld ruling handed down in June of this year. But rather than focus solely on the Bush administration’s military commissions established to try Guantanamo detainees, Ratner argues attention should be paid to U.S. detainees in worldwide custody and to broader examination of Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
Avi-Yonah testifies on offshore tax abuses before Congressional subcommittee
Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, the Irwin I. Cohn Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School, and Director of the International Tax LL.M. Program, testified on August 1, 2006 before the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations’ Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Avi-Yonah’s testimony detailed how U.S. residents have established bank accounts in offshore havens – such as the Cayman Islands – explicitly for the purpose of evading U.S. income taxes, how they do so, the implications, and what corrective actions might be taken. The instances Avi-Yonah cited differ from cases involving the laundering of funds earned in criminal activity; these monies were legally earned and deposited offshore explicitly to avoid paying taxes.
2L Erin Dougherty appointed to National Advisory Committee of Equal Justice Works
Erin C. Dougherty, a second year Michigan Law student, has been selected as a member of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) to Equal Justice Works, it was announced by David Stern, Equal Justice Works Chief Programs Officer and Tom Schoenherr, NAC Co-Chair.
Michigan Law’s Josh Deahl wins 2006 Burton Award for Legal Achievement
Joshua A. Deahl, Michigan Law Class of 2006, has been named a winner of the 2006 Burton Award for Legal Achievement – a prestigious national recognition of excellence for the quality, style, and technique of legal writing. The awards, sponsored by the Burton Foundation with the Library of Congress and the Law Library of Congress, are given for articles and other writings by lawyers in the nation’s 750 largest firms and by law students. 14 Burton awards were granted in the law school category, including the one to Deahl for “Expanding Forfeiture Without Sacrificing Confrontation After Crawford,†published in Vol. 104 of the Michigan Law Review.
Michigan Law hosts groundbreaking international conference on patents and innovation
What happens when burgeoning technology and innovation – think customized pharmaceuticals, nanotubes, file-sharing protocols, or business practices – threaten to overwhelm a patent system designed for a simpler era and the notion that “one size fits all?†The answer may be confusion, litigation, inefficient allocation of investment, and gaming of the system. Today, with billions of dollars and national competitiveness at stake, deep differences in industry perspective are stalling patent reform in Congress – which is why Michigan Law’s Patents and Diversity in Innovation conference on September 29th and 30th promises to become a major corporate and academic forum for framing and advancing the key issues.
Ben-Shahar article argues that the liability system itself can make drugs more dangerous
In an article appearing in the June 2006 issue of Economists’ Voice – “The (Legal) Pains of Vioxx: Why Product Liability Can Make products More Dangerous†– University of Michigan Law Professor Omri Ben-Shahar describes how the Vioxx fiasco taught pharmaceutical manufacturers and other companies that recalling a product increases their liability exposure. In light of the onslaught of liability that usually follows a public recall announcement, manufacturers of risky products are more likely to leave these products on the market and to invest less in determining their risks.
Mendelson New York Times Op Ed Puts Spotlight on Federal Curtailment of States’ Health and Environmental Protection Efforts
In an Op Ed contribution appearing in today’s New York Times – “Bullies Along the Potomac†– Michigan Law Professor Nina Mendelson argues that even though conservatives who purportedly favor states’ right are in control of the White House and Congress, recent federal actions have undermined states’ actions to protect health and the environment.
President Bush Nominates Raymond Kethledge, Michigan Law '93, to U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
President George W. Bush today sent four federal appeals court nominations to the Senate, among them Raymond M. Kethledge, 39, who earned his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1993.
Supreme Court upholds Rich Friedman's arguments in Hammon v. Indiana
In an 8-1 decision with only Justice Thomas dissenting, Richard D. Friedman, Ralph D. Aigler Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, today won a major Supreme Court victory for his client in Hammon v. Indiana. The case involved the Confrontation Clause – the Sixth Amendment right of the accused to be “confronted with the witnesses against him.â€
Niehoff Ethics Affidavit Part of ACLU Efforts to Stop NSA Warrantless Wiretapping
Len Niehoff, Michigan Law Adjunct Professor, submitted an ethics affidavit to a legal memorandum prepared by the American Civil Liberties Union which argues that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) policy of warrantless wiretapping is unconstitutional and impedes the work of journalists and attorneys. Niehoff’s affidavit points out that the NSA program "creates an overwhelming, if not insurmountable, obstacle to effective and ethical representation" because it requires attorneys to avoid using phone or email in working with their clients and obtaining information. Niehoff concludes that such alternative means of communication and information-gathering "at best will work clumsily and inefficiently and, at worst, will not work at all."
Aeran Baskin and Sarah Donaldson Named 2006 Sonnenschein Scholars
Incoming second year Michigan Law students Aeran Baskin and Sarah Donaldson were recently recognized as Sonnenschein Scholars by the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. They join 48 other students from the 25 leading U.S. law schools in receiving a $4000 summer stipend to help underwrite working with a public interest program of their choice.
Carl Schneider, Stillman Professor of Law, Named to The President's Council on Bioethics
The President recently announced the appointment of Michigan Law Professor Carl E. Schneider to his Council on Bioethics, a body which advises the President on ethical issues related to advances in biomedical science and technology. The appointment recognizes Schneider's research, scholarship, and professional reputation in bioethics and issues at the cusp of medicine and law.
Gavin Clarkson Testifies Before US Senate Committee on Native American Finance Issues
Michigan Law Visiting Assistant Professor Gavin Clarkson -- also Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and Native American Studies -- today testified before the United State Senate Committee on Finance's Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction.
Two Michigan Law Alumni -- Portman and Joel -- Named to Key U.S. Government Posts
Recent senior level appointments of two distinguished alumni catapulted Michigan Law into the news. On April 18th, President Bush nominated Rob Portman, U.S. trade representative, to become the next head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), following the appointment of former OMB head Joshua Bolton to the role of White House Chief of Staff. Portman, 51, a Dartmouth graduate and 1984 Michigan Law J.D., also served as a 7-term congressman from Ohio and associate White House counsel.
Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, to Speak at Michigan Law Commencement
Evan Caminker, Dean of the University of Michigan Law School, today announced that noted Iranian lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi will deliver the invitational address for the School's May 8th Commencement ceremonies, known as Senior Day.
Michigan Law Student Named One of 18 U.S. Luce Scholars
Third year University of Michigan Law School student Brandon E. Reavis has recently been selected as a 2006-2007 Henry Luce Foundation Scholar. One of only 18 U.S. college and university students so honored, Reavis will spend the award year teaching international law at a Chinese university shortly following his May 2006 graduation as a Michigan Law J.D.
University of Michigan Law Students File Class Action Suit Seeking Healthcare for Metro Detroit American Indians
Second- and third-year students working in Michigan Law's Clinical Law Program -- under the supervision of Professor David Santacroce -- assisted plaintiffs in filing an April 6th class action lawsuit in the federal court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The suit seeks healthcare for the approximately 40,000 American Indians living in the metropolitan Detroit area.
Michigan Law Team Places 3rd Among US Law Schools, 12th Overall, in Jessup International Moot Court Competition
After victories in their regional rounds, a team of law students from the University of Michigan Law School advanced to the international rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC. During that March 26th to April 1st event -- which featured 104 teams from 81 countries -- the Michigan law team of Sarah Bender-Nash, Joshua Deahl, Scott Risner, and Jackie Roeder ultimately reached the 6th round, was ranked 12th overall in the final international rankings, came in 3rd among US teams, and was awarded the prestigious Alona E. Evans Award for the best memorials of the international round.
Michigan Law Announces Major New Faculty Appointments
Evan Caminker, Dean of the University of Michigan Law School, recently announced the appointment of five highly regarded scholar-teachers to the Law School's faculty -- Douglas Laycock, Jessica Litman, Margaret Jane Radin, Eve Brensike, and Scott Hershovitz.
Congressional Record includes U-M Law School voting discrimination study
The University of Michigan Law School's Voting Rights Initiative (VRI) has demonstrated that the Voting Rights Act has provided relief from state and local laws and practices that have resulted in the denial or abridgement of the voting rights of racial and language minorities since 1982. Now the report, titled "Documenting Discrimination in Voting: Judicial Findings Under the Voting Rights Act Since 1982," has become part of the Official Congressional Record of the House Hearings on the Voting Rights Act, at the request of Congressman Mel Watt. The record is available at the House Judiciary Committee's Web site.
Second Annual Motions Day -- Open to All Michigan Law Students -- to be Held on April 3rd
On Monday, April 3rd, Michigan Law's second annual Motions Day will be held from 9:30 am to approximately 12 noon in room 250, Hutchins Hall.
Curing legal troubles at the health clinic
Attorney Debra Chopp and her client, Nerissa Anderson, are two happy women. In December, they had their day in court. Two weeks ago, they learned they won. At stake were disability benefits that have eluded Anderson, 22, cancer survivor, since she was diagnosed at age 14.
Opportunity to help gives students real experiences
Law students form the front line of troops in the University of Michigan's Pediatric Advocacy Initiative, a relatively new law school outreach program that links poor families with free legal help. Third-year U-M law students Jeena Shah and Sarah Chopp got to hone their legal research and courtroom skills - fast - in a case they feel optimistic about winning. In mid-February, they went before a Social Security appeals judge, representing a mother trying to get benefits for her three daughters on the grounds they are developmentally disabled.
U-M Law professor, alumnus give U.S. Supreme Court arguments
University of Michigan law professor Richard D. Friedman and alumnus Jeffrey L. Fisher will appear before the United States Supreme Court on March 20 in two separate cases involving the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment.
Michigan Law Team Advances to International Rounds of Jessup Competition
In regional rounds of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, a team of students from the University of Michigan Law School defeated teams from the law schools of Ohio State, Case Western Reserve, University of Dayton, University of Toledo, Thomas M. Cooley, and Michigan State to advance to the international competition in Washington DC on March 26, 2006.
Navajo Supreme Court to hear double jeopardy case at the U-M Law School
The University of Michigan Law School will host "American Indian Law Day 2006," with the Navajo Supreme Court hearing oral arguments on a case involving double jeopardy.
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