With support from the University of Georgia's Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity and Community, the School of Law and School of Public and International Affairs have established the Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Lecture on Race, Law and Policy in honor of the late jurist, who was a trailblazer for the Black community in Georgia. UGA's Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity and Community was created to develop initiatives and actions to foster a more welcoming and supportive learning environment on campus. This lecture is one of the first initiatives approved for funding by UGA President Jere W. Morehead, who has committed $1 million to fund recommendations from the task force.
University Professor and Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law Dan T. Coenen's article "Suspect Linkage: The Interplay of State Taxing and Spending Measures in the Application of Constitutional Antidiscrimination Rules" (95 Michigan Law Review 2167 (1997)) (with W. Hellerstein) was quoted by the Virginia Supreme Court in International Paper Co. v. County of Isle of Wight (Sept. 17, 2020).
Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein's article "Suspect Linkage: The Interplay of State Taxing and Spending Measures in the Application of Constitutional Antidiscrimination Rules" (95 Michigan Law Review 2167 (1997)) (with D.T. Coenen) was quoted by the Virginia Supreme Court in International Paper Co. v. County of Isle of Wight (Sept. 17, 2020).
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West was featured on NPR affiliate WABE regarding "the life and legal legacy" of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the process of nominating her replacement on the country's highest court. The segment titled "Remembering The Legal Legacy Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" aired 9/21/20.
Woodruff Chair in International Law Diane Marie Amann was profiled on UGA Today as part of the university's "Focus on Faculty" feature.
The First Amendment Clinic presented to 140 city and county attorneys in Georgia on the current state of the law regarding public officials blocking constituents on social media. First Amendment Clinic Director and Clinical Assistant Professor Clare R. Norins and second-year student Mark L. Bailey shared that a critical mass of courts that have addressed this issue find that when using a social media account to communicate with the public about official duties and activities, a public official violates the First Amendment if they censor or block a user because of disagreement with the user's expressed viewpoint. The pair discussed the elements of the First Amendment claims that arise from social-media-blocking, the factors that courts consider in adjudicating these claims and suggested some best practices for municipal attorneys to consider when counseling their clients on how to reduce risk of liability associated with social media use. The presentation was hosted by the Georgia Municipal Association during September.
Dean Rusk International Law Center Interim Director & Hosch Professor Lori A. Ringhand presented "Law, Justice, and the Future of U.S. Elections" as the keynote address for the University of South Carolina's Constitution Day activities.
Rogers Chair of Law Camilla E. Watson published "Federal Financing of Higher Education at a Crossroads: The Evolution of the Student Loan Debt Crisis and the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965" in 2019 Michigan State Law Review 883 (2020).
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West was featured in the Kentucky New Era regarding improving U.S. Supreme Court transparency measures. The article titled "At the Supreme Court, another step toward transparency, but it has more to go" was written by Tony Mauro and published 9/15/20.
Sibley Professor in Corporate and Business Law Larry D. Thompson was featured in The New York Times regarding his final report relating to Volkswagen's emissions testing settlements with the U.S. government. Thompson has served as the automaker's independent compliance monitor since 2017. The article titled "Volkswagen Has Kept Promises to Reform, U.S. Overseer Says" was written by Jack Ewing and published 9/14/20.
Associate Dean for Clinical Programs and Experiential Learning & Hosch Associate Professor Jason A. Cade published "All the Border's a Stage: Humanitarian Aid as Expressive Dissent" in 84 Studies in Law, Politics, and Society: Law and the Citizen 109 (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020) (A. Sarat, ed).
The University of Georgia School of Law has been voted the best in the state by readers of the Daily Report, Georgia's legal newspaper. We are grateful to our graduates and friends for recognizing our longstanding commitment to preparing the next generation of legal leaders and our vision of being the best return on investment in legal education. Our school's accomplished faculty includes nationally and internationally renowned scholars, and our approximately 11,000 living graduates are leading figures in law, business and public service throughout the world. Connecting students to these thought leaders and opportunities to serve state and society is central to our school's mission.
Foreign and International Law Librarian Anne Burnett published "Messy Data Secrets Revealed: How We Digitized Theses and Improved Discovery" in 40 Computers in Libraries 16 (2020) (with R.S. Evans).
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic virtually presented "An Update for Advocates and Communities on COVID-related SNAP and P-EBT Benefits" that covered changes to the SNAP (food stamps) Program and the P-EBT (school lunch) Program for families with school-aged children as well as how to challenge decisions. The August webinar had over 60 attendees, representing 50 organizations across Georgia.
Metadata Services & Special Collections Librarian Rachel S. Evans published "Messy Data Secrets Revealed: How We Digitized Theses and Improved Discovery" in 40 Computers in Libraries 16 (2020) (with A. Burnett).
Associate Professor & Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills Director Lisa Milot was featured on WXAG-FM's "The Fred Smith Show" regarding the PAWS' community animal welfare clinics in Athens. The show aired 9/10/20.
The Appellate Litigation Clinic, in partnership with 2011 alumnus Benjamin J. "Ben" Osorio, recently won remand for its client before the Board of Immigration Appeals. The case Gutierrez-Flores v. Barr involved an immigration judge applying the Asylum Transit Ban retroactively to a Nicaraguan client thus denying her claim for asylum.
Metadata Services & Special Collections Librarian Rachel S. Evans organized and moderated the Georgia Library Association Technical Services Interest Group's virtual workshop titled "Big Data: Managing Large-Scale Metadata Projects in a Teleworked Environment," which had more than 270 registrants and included speakers from UGA Libraries Brown Media Archives.
First Start Coordinator Amanda Fox was featured on UGA Today regarding her work with first-generation college graduates who are earning law degrees and the development of programs and services that will serve their unique needs and ultimately help diversify the student body and legal profession. The article was written by Krista Richmond and published 9/2/20.
Director of the Law Library Carol A. Watson published "How Should the Law Library Interact with the Law School or University?" in Academic Law Libraries Within the Changing Landscape of Legal Education: A Primer for Deans and Provosts (William S. Hein & Co., 2020) (M.M. Wu, S.B. Pagel & J.S. Howland, eds.)