Alston Associate Chair in Corporate Law Lindsey Simon was featured on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" regarding a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in the Purdue Pharma case. The article titled "A landmark appeals court ruling clears way for Purdue Pharma-Sackler bankruptcy deal" was written by Brian Mann and published 5/31/23.
Alston Associate Chair in Corporate Law Lindsey Simon was featured on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" regarding a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in the Purdue Pharma case. The segment titled "Appeals court clears the way to shield Sackler family from opioid crisis lawsuits" was hosted by Mary Louise Kelly and Brian Mann and aired 5/30/23.
Congratulations to the School of Law's American Constitution Society student group for receiving a programming award from the national organization. The award is presented to the "strongest chapters who have conducted at least 18 substantive and compelling events during the school year." Notably, in March, the law school's ACS chapter was named Student Chapter of the Week.
Clinical Assistant Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins was featured in the Georgia Recorder regarding book banning in Forsyth County schools. The article titled "Investigators say Forsyth book bans may have created 'hostile environment' for students" was written by Ross Williams and published 5/30/23. The article was reprinted in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
On May 25, the Supreme Court issued its decision on Sackett v. EPA, No. 24-454 (2022). Assistant Professor Adam D. Orford, whose interdisciplinary research investigates legal and policy approaches to environmental protection, has shared his thoughts on the implications of this decision: “Today, the Supreme Court significantly curtailed the scope of the federal government's regulatory jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act, excluding millions of acres of previously regulated wetlands from federal oversight, and potentially reducing the number of surface water bodies under federal protection. This decision, which is consistent with recent Supreme Court precedent reading federal environmental laws very narrowly, shifts the decision about whether to protect newly non-federal wetlands and other waterbodies over to the states, many of which will favor real estate development over environmental protection. Lacking further federal legislation, the decision will significantly reduce U.S. EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulatory oversight of land-disturbing activities.”
University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues presented as part of "The Regulators Speak" panel at the Financial Regulators Under Siege conference hosted by the Loyola University Chicago School of Law's Center for Business Law during April.
University Professor, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor & Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law Dan T. Coenen published Principles of Constitutional Structure (West Academic Publishing, 2022) (with M. Coenen).
Clinical Associate Professor & Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic Director Emma M. Hetherington was featured in the Boston Globe. The article titled "Cardinal O'Malley, other church leaders failed to prevent abuse of three former Arlington Catholic students, lawsuit claims" was written by John Hillard and 5/23/23.
During April, Assistant Dean for Career Development Tony Waller became the president of NALP (the National Association for Law Placement), an international association of over 3,000 legal career professionals who advise law students, lawyers, law offices and law schools. Of note, he is the first person from the state of Georgia to serve in this leadership capacity in more than two decades.
Associate Dean for International Programs & Post Professor Melissa J. "MJ" Durkee published "Industry Groups in International Governance: A Framework for Reform" in 13 Journal of Human Rights and the Environment (2023).
University Professor, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor & Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law Dan T. Coenen published "Constitutional Text, Founding-Era History, and the Independent State-Legislature Theory" in 57 Georgia Law Review 539 (2023).
Assistant Professor Adam D. Orford published "Clean Air Act Section 115: Is the IPCC a 'Duly Constituted International Agency'?" in 34 Georgetown Environmental Law Review 215 (2022).
Clinical Assistant Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins was featured in Courthouse News regarding the merits of a lawsuit filed in federal district court challenging a school district's decision to remove books from its school libraries. The article titled "Florida school district faces First Amendment challenge to book bans" was written by Megan Butler and published 5/17/23.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West was featured in a Reuters article regarding remote access to federal court proceedings. The article titled "Bad timing: Federal courts are poised to backtrack on remote access" was written by Jenna Greene and published 5/18/23.
Regents' Professor of International Law and Woodruff Chair in International Law Diane Marie Amann published “Afterword: A Guide to Mireille Delmas-Marty’s ‘Compass’” in Mireille Delmas Marty, A Compass of Possibilities: Global Governance and Legal Humanisms (Emanuela Fronza and Chiara Giorgetti eds., 1088 Press/University of Bologna, 2023). This essay is part of a new volume featuring an English translation of a 2011 lecture by Mirielle Delmas-Marty (1941-2022), a legal thinker who was a professor at Collège de France in Paris.
University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues was featured on Bloomberg Law regarding the effects of a record-breaking SPAC deal. The article titled "Record SPAC Deal Shows Market Weakness, Not Strength" was written by Bailey Lipschultz and published 5/16/23.
Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein presented a paper he co-authored with a member of the Secretariat of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on “Crypto-Assets: Key Concepts and Terms,” at a meeting of OECD’s Working Party No. 9 on Consumption Taxes in Paris, France, during May.
The Veterans Legal Clinic has successfully helped two women obtain benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. In one case, the clinic helped a woman veteran who lived for years with post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from a military sexual trauma: a rape by another service member. Second-year student Eli F. Klenberg and third-year students A. Ligon Fant, Riley Gardner, Trisha D. Hyatt, Lauren A. Johnson and Bethany L. Strain developed the evidence that supported her claim. The decision resulted in increased monthly benefits and recognition by the VA of the long-term impact of the trauma. In the second case, the clinic assisted the widow of a Vietnam veteran who died of stomach cancer resulting from chronic substance use to self-treat his post-traumatic stress disorder caused by his experiences in service. Class of 2022 graduates Margaret Uhler and Jack Mayo identified and researched the medical links between his mental and medical conditions that materially contributed to this win. The decision resulted in a substantial retroactive award and ongoing monthly payments to the widow.
Callaway Chair of Law Emeritus Ronald L. Carlson was featured in The Guardian regarding offers of immunity for individuals involved in investigations surrounding the 2020 presidential election. The article titled "Trump rages after sexual abuse verdict but legal woes have only just begun" was written by Chris McGreal and published 5/14/22. The article also appeared on various other news outlets.
The School of Law regrets to announce former employee Kathryn Jo "Kathy" T. Burkes passed away December 27, 2019. She worked at UGA from March 1993 to April 2002. During that time she served as an administrative assistant in the school's advocacy office. She will be missed by law school faculty, staff and former students.