The School of Law regrets to share news of the passing of Walter Ray Phillips on November 8, 2023, at the age of 91. He retired from the law school in 2000 after 27 years as a member of the faculty. During his tenure, he served as acting dean in 1976 and associate dean from 1975 to 1983, and he held the Talmadge and Lumpkin professorships. He has been described as a master teacher and scholar, a pillar of the law school and a gentleman in every sense of the word. Phillips is survived by his two daughters, Bonnie Koryn and Lee Evans, and two grandchildren, Rachel Good and Luke Evans. Please be sure to keep the Phillips family in your thoughts and prayers during this sorrowful time.
Congratulations to Administrative Assistant Nikko Terry, who was selected for the 2023 Emma Terrell Distinguished Employee Award. Presented annually by the Law School Staff Representative Group, the award recognizes “individuals who have demonstrated a strong work ethic, commitment to service, and exceptional job performance as well as the cooperation needed to ensure the School of Law meets and exceeds its goals.”
Assistant Professor Adam D. Orford offers insight into the upcoming case Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo: "The case is significant because Chevron is potentially implicated any time a federal agency makes a rule to implement a federal statute and chooses to fill in gaps or do any other thing not specifically contemplated by Congress – and there are thousands of such rulemakings every year. As one of the most-used decision rules in the federal courts, any significant change to the way courts review agency rulemaking authority will have wide-ranging impacts on the functioning of the entire federal bureaucracy – particularly in a legislative environment like today's, where it is probably not possible for Congress to agree on legislation containing extremely detailed instructions on many issues that are currently the subject of regulation.”
Congratulations to Charles A. "Charlie" McKeown (J.D.'23) for receiving the C.B. King Award from the National Lawyers Guild. This honor recognizes McKeown for his leadership at the School of Law, where he was president of the NLG student chapter, and for his commitment to human rights and the rights of ecosystems.
Congratulations to third-year students J. Briana Hayes, Mia A. McKnight and Alexandra M. Smolyar for each receiving the Law School Student Excellence in Access to Justice Award from the State Bar of Georgia. This prestigious honor recognizes law students who have "excelled in participation in support of a civil pro bono or legal aid program" or who have "been instrumental in the development of a civil pro bono program."