Law Professors

Law Prof Denied Communion for Supporting Obama

Pepperdine law professor Douglas Kmiec says he was denied communion because he supports Barack Obama, a candidate who backs abortion rights. Kmiec, the former dean at Catholic University law school, told National Public Radio that he was asked to speak at a church about why he supported the candidate. Before…

Jun 6, 2008 12:49 PM CDT

Chinese Law School Plans to Seek Accreditation from ABA

A new law school in China has announced its intent to seek accreditation from the American Bar Association, so graduates could potentially practice law in the U.S. (States commonly require a degree from an ABA-accredited law school as a prerequisite for taking the bar exam.) Peking University School of Transnational…

Jun 6, 2008 12:19 AM CDT

Law Prof Testifies Fen-Phen Lawyers Told Clients of Deal Too Late

A Northern Kentucky University law professor testified yesterday that three fen-phen lawyers told their clients of a settlement after the case had been dismissed—too late for them to raise objections. Edward Brewer III, on leave from the university’s Salmon P. Chase law school, said the delay violated Kentucky ethics and…

Jun 5, 2008 11:48 AM CDT

New NLJ List: 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers

Winnowing through an avalanche of nominations to determine the 50 minority lawyers who have had the most influence on the profession during the past five years was no easy task, due to the multitude of candidates. But a National Law Journal team has done so, supplementing the information provided with…

Jun 2, 2008 9:20 PM CDT

Yale Affirmative Action Didn’t Hurt Clarence Thomas, Classmates Say

Although a Yale Law School diploma didn’t prevent Clarence Thomas from getting a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court bench, it didn’t help him much either, he has said. In particular, the African-American justice has blamed Yale’s affirmative action program for stigmatizing black graduates, and contends his law degree is…

Jun 2, 2008 6:59 PM CDT

Author! Author!

Great books mean great decisions

Jun 1, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Academics Give Bad Advice for the Right Price, Angry Law Prof Says

In a highly unusual upcoming Stanford Law Review article, an angry academic criticizes colleagues by name for allegedly giving bad legal advice when the price is right. “The Market for Bad Legal Advice,” a “take-no-prisoners” article by Columbia Law School professor William Simon, criticizes noted academics as “enablers of pernicious…

May 30, 2008 3:58 PM CDT

DOJ Paralegal Sues Department for Discrimination

An African-American paralegal who worked in the Justice Department for 13 years has sued for discrimination. Paralegal Joi Hyatte claims supervisors sought outside white and Hispanic job candidates for higher paying analyst positions in the voting rights section and failed to offer the jobs to existing, qualified paralegals, reports The…

May 30, 2008 3:40 PM CDT

SG Paul Clement to Teach at Georgetown Law School

Updated: Outgoing Solicitor General Paul Clement will join Georgetown law school as a visiting law professor and a senior fellow at the school’s Supreme Court Institute. Two weeks ago, Clement had announced he will resign from the Justice Department on June 2, but he did not indicate his future plans.…

May 29, 2008 3:27 PM CDT

Law School Dean to be Ohio AG on Interim Basis

The governor of Ohio is replacing the state’s former attorney general, Marc Dann, with Nancy Hardin Rogers, the dean of Ohio State University’s law school. She will serve until a new attorney general is elected, taking a leave of absence from the law school in order to do so, reports…

May 28, 2008 7:37 PM CDT

Two More High-Profile Law Profs Lured from George Mason to Chapman

George Mason University law professor Ronald Rotunda is joining Chapman law school along with his wife, Kyndra, an expert on military personnel and disability law. Rotunda has written a well-known case book on legal ethics and has helped emerging democracies craft constitutions and legal codes. He will help Chapman create…

May 28, 2008 5:11 PM CDT

Prof. Names ‘100 Most Creative Moments in American Law’

Calling on as many legal history teachers as he could, a Valparaiso University law school professor has come up with an intriguing list of the “100 Most Creative Moments in American Law.” In 2005, Robert F. Blomquist sent letters to some 426 American professors who noted that they teach legal…

May 23, 2008 6:58 PM CDT

Legal Theory Used in MySpace Suicide Criminalizes Website Lies

Some legal experts are criticizing the theory being used to prosecute a Missouri mother charged in connection with the suicide of a girl who used MySpace. Lori Drew was indicted last week for her alleged role in creating an account in the name of a fictitious boy whose cruel messages…

May 19, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

Phyllis Schlafly Hon. Degree Sparks Wash U Spat, Law Prof Protest

Ever the conservative gadfly, attorney and political activist Phyllis Schlafly, didn’t hesitate to say what she thought when law professors, among others, complained about a planned award of an honorary degree to her today by Washington University in St. Louis. Her critics are “a bunch of losers,” says Schlafly, 83,…

May 16, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

New Law Dean at UC Davis is First Latino in the Position

Kevin Johnson was confirmed today as the new law school dean at the University of California at Davis by the school’s board of regents. He is the first Latino to be appointed dean of any of the law schools in the UC system, according to a press release. Johnson, 49,…

May 16, 2008 12:30 AM CDT