Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Legal Ethics and Professionalism & Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lonnie T. Brown Jr. presented "Civil Unrest and the Role of the Attorney General: A Comparison of Ramsey Clark to William Barr" as a part of a virtual symposium hosted by the Mercer Law Review titled "Ethics, Professionalism, and the Role of the Attorney General of the United States: Lessons from History."
Ian L. Kecskes was named Best Overall Advocate and Amelia Welch Ortiz received an Outstanding Advocate Award at The 2020 All Star Bracket Challenge. The pair teamed up with fellow third-year students Janay S. Alexander and Ayman Tartir to compete in the virtual mock trial tournament featuring 64 law schools from across the country. As a group, the students finished fifth in their region. Alumnus Jeremy B. Dailey (J.D.'14) served as the volunteer alumni coach.
Through the Mediation Practicum, third-year law student Allison "Allie" Evans and second-year students Hiance M. Castro Guerrero and Marissa G. Hill are helping to create an online mediation program for the State Court of Athens-Clarke County. Judge Charles E. Auslander III (J.D.'97) asked the Mediation Practicum to assist Georgia's 10th Judicial District ADR Program with the virtual delivery of services. Since practicum students receive training to become approved mediators with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution and have had success with remote dispute resolutions in the Savannah area, they were ideal candidates to assist the local court, according to practicum supervisor Rob McNiff. "Many parties are finding that virtual mediations provide greater and safer access to an important process for resolving their cases," McNiff said.
As the month celebrating Latinx heritage draws to a close, the University of Georgia School of Law recently held a virtual portrait unveiling for Luis Aguilar, a 1979 graduate of the law school whose service on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission helped lead the country out of the economic upheaval of the 2008 recession. Aguilar immigrated to the United States as a child refugee from Cuba and describes himself as "the product of the generosity of the American people and the opportunities offered by the United States." He served as a commissioner with the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2008 to 2015 - making Aguilar the eighth longest-serving commissioner in SEC history as well as only the third individual to have been nominated by two U.S. presidents from different political parties.
Dean Rusk International Law Center Interim Director & Hosch Professor Lori A. Ringhand was featured in the Business Insider regarding U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings. The article titled "Amy Coney Barrett avoided answering questions from senators by citing the 'Ginsburg rule,' but legal scholars say it's not a valid excuse" was written by John Haltiwanger and published 10/13/20.
The First Amendment Clinic is training student journalists at universities across the state. Consistent with the clinic's mission to educate the public about free speech and press rights, the clinic provided media law training to the Cluster newspaper staff at Mercer University, Grady Newsource staff at UGA and communications department students and faculty at East Georgia State College. Third-year law student Anish Patel, second-year law student Davis M. Wright and First Amendment Clinic Legal Fellow Samantha Hamilton covered tops such as defamation, privacy, copyright fair use and access rights under Georgia's Open Meetings and Open Records Acts.
Dean Rusk International Law Center Interim Director & Hosch Professor Lori A. Ringhand was featured in the Los Angeles Times regarding U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings. The article titled "Not Since Bork Has A Supreme Court Pick Had Such A Public Record On Issues. Will It Matter For Barrett?" was written by David G. Savage and published 10/13/20.
Dean Rusk International Law Center Interim Director & Hosch Professor Lori A. Ringhand was featured on Wisconsin Public Radio regarding U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings. The segment titled "Scrutinizing The Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings" aired as part of "The Morning Show" on 10/13/20.
The Appellate Litigation Clinic recently won its argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in the case McIlwain v. Burnside. The clinic's client filed five grievances after not receiving proper medical care for stab wounds, and the District Court claimed the client failed to exhaust his administrative remedies under the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The Eleventh Circuit judges agreed that the District Court dismissed the case prematurely and instructed the District Court to conduct an evidentiary hearing on the first grievance and make fact findings on the rest that respond to the client's exhaustion-related arguments. This ruling was featured on Bloomberg Law in the article titled "Georgia Prisoner's Indifference Complaints Revived On Appeal," which was authored by Porter Wells and published 10/9/20.
Callaway Chair of Law Emeritus Ronald L. Carlson's book Carlson on Evidence (with M. Carlson) was recently cited by the Georgia Court of Appeals in the case Jernigan v. State in relation to determining when prosecution evidence is unduly prejudicial. This text has now been cited 55 times by Georgia appellate courts to resolve evidentiary issues.
The School of Law was featured in U.S. News & World Report regarding the establishment of the Chester C. Davenport Memorial Endowment Fund honoring the school's first Black graduate. The fund, supported by discretionary allocations from UGA President Jere W. Morehead and Dean Peter B. "Bo" Rutledge, will be a source of scholarships and fellowships for incoming students graduating from Georgia-based historically Black colleges and universities. Recipients also will be chosen for reflecting Davenport's legacy of academic excellence, courage, determination and trailblazing spirit. The article titled "Fund Created in Memory of UGA Law School's First Black Grad" was published 10/10/20.
The School of Law regrets to announce former employee Karen "Kay" Hardeman (Bramlett) Kirk passed away October 2, 2020, at the age of 64. Kirk served as an administrative assistant at the law school and retired in June 2008. She will be missed by law school faculty, staff and students.
Smith Professor Hillel Y. Levin was featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding a lawsuit challenging the way schools have reopened during the pandemic. The article titled "Georgia teacher lawsuit accuses Kemp, school officials of putting staff, students at risk for COVID-19" was written by Ty Tagami and published 10/8/20.
Thanks to a partnership with The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, third-year law student Allison "Allie" Evans and second-year students Hiance M. Castro Guerrero and Marissa G. Hill have used their skills as registered neutrals to virtually mediate civil cases in the Savannah area. These Mediation Practicum students are approved mediators with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, and each is handling approximately one small claims case per week. Practicum supervisor Rob McNiff said some litigants find that virtual mediations are a more convenient way to resolve their disputes.
Assistant Professor Sandra G. Mayson published "Boots and Bail on the Ground: Assessing the Implementation of Misdemeanor Bail Reforms in Georgia" in 54 Georgia Law Review 1235 (2020).
Wilner/UGA Foundation Professor in International Law Harlan G. Cohen presented on a panel titled "The Future of Trade" sponsored by Center for the Advancement of the Rule of Law in the Americas and Georgetown Law during September.
Hosch Professor Julian A. Cook III published "Presidential Crimes Matter" in 68 UCLA Law Review Discourse 222 (2020).
Dean Rusk International Law Center Interim Director & Hosch Professor Lori A. Ringhand published "Understanding the Elephant: Considering UK Electoral Reform in Light of the US Experience" in 2020 Public Law 701.
UGA Associate Provost & Kirbo Chair Elizabeth Weeks published "Designing Policy Solutions to Build a Healthier Rural America" in 48 The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 491 (2020) (with third-year student Anish Patel and S. Vohra, C. Pointer, A. Fogleman and T. Albers).
Brock Associate Professor in Professional Responsibility Nathan S. Chapman presented on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue as part of the University of Virginia School of Law's "The Future of Funding for Religious Schools" panel during September.