Recently a U.S. District Court judge granted a contested motion filed by the First Amendment Clinic, the Community Health Law Partnership Clinic and co-counsel to add two additional named plaintiffs to Oldaker v. Giles, a putative class action currently pending in the Middle District of Georgia. The lawsuit seeks redress for women who were subjected to retaliation after speaking out about medical abuse while in the custody of U.S. Immigration Customs & Enforcement. Along with Associate Dean Jason A. Cade, Clinical Assistant Professor Clare R. Norins, Staff Attorney Kristen Shepherd and Legal Fellow Lindsey M. Floyd, numerous law students from both clinics have been involved in various aspects of the years-long advocacy on behalf of women detained at the Georgia detention center.
School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge announces the University of Georgia School of Law's intent to participate in the current U.S. News & World Report rankings cycle and provides his views for the school’s decision. “Agreeing with other law schools about the value of multiple sources of information to students and their families, the University of Georgia School of Law will not withhold information from U.S. News & World Report,” Rutledge said. “U.S. News is ultimately just one source of information among many that help consumers make informed choices. Amid a squabble about a magazine, let’s not lose sight of the big picture: Tuition, cost, debt, jobs and bar passage are the topics that students and their families discuss around the kitchen table when deciding whether and where to pursue a professional degree. Tackling those issues is one of today’s great moral imperatives for leaders in higher education, and what we’re doing by guaranteeing financial aid to all first-generation college graduates and veterans.”
Congratulations to 2022 alumnus Richmond B. Wrinkle for receiving the 2022 Law School Student Excellence in Access to Justice Award. Sponsored by the State Bar of Georgia Access to Justice Committee and the Pro Bono Resource Center, he was recognized for his "commitment to prioritizing pro bono service at the law school level by helping design a pro bono law school class at UGA and increasing recognition for student pro bono service." His award was presented by U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas.
President Joe Biden will soon sign the Safe Connections Act into law. The legislation, which seeks to help survivors of domestic violence sever ties with their abusers by offering a path to more easily separate from shared wireless service plans, was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate. Assistant Professor Thomas E. Kadri, whose research focuses on law and technology with an emphasis on technology-enabled abuse, has been an adviser on the text of the bipartisan legislation. He offers insight into the new law.
Congratulations to third-year students Lucas J. Iddings, N. Molly Laughlin and Roby H. Jernigan for finishing as finalists in a regional round of the National Moot Court Competition. Iddings was named the best advocate of the preliminary round.