Law Professors

New Turmoil at Ave Maria

In the latest turmoil at Ave Maria School of Law, the alumni board of directors of the Michigan institution has issued a vote of no confidence in the school’s top leaders. It called—for the second time—for the ouster of the dean and board chairman of the Catholic law school, reports…

Oct 1, 2007 3:35 PM CDT

Top Med Mag: No Vaccine-Autism Link

Although thousands of cases are being pursued alleging a link between childhood vaccines and autism (see “No Longer Immune” in the July 2006 ABA Journal), it’s doubtful that causation can be proven. In fact, a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes there is no causal…

Sep 26, 2007 10:33 PM CDT

Chancellor: I Bungled Chemerinsky Hire

The man responsible for the on-again, off-again hiring of a prominent constitutional scholar to serve as dean of a new law school being created at the University of California at Irvine admits his handling of the matter left much to be desired. “This is certainly something that I bungled, and…

Sep 21, 2007 12:14 AM CDT

NYU Law’s Dworkin Wins $750,000+

A renowned law and philosophy professor at New York University has been awarded a prestigious prize for his scholarship. Its value is variously given as $750,000 or $800,000. Ronald Dworkin, 76, who has a joint appointment at Oxford University in Britain, has won the Holberg International Memorial Prize for his…

Sep 20, 2007 8:34 PM CDT

Law Prof: CA Bar Swayed by Liberals

A UCLA law professor seeking more information about bar passage rates for minority law students is planning his next move after the State Bar of California turned down his request for historical data. The Committee of Bar Examiners refused to release the information, saying test takers provided it in the…

Sep 19, 2007 12:31 PM CDT

Stanford Class for Laity: Think Like Lawyer

An all-star faculty lineup at Stanford Law School is offering an ambitious and perhaps unprecedented course for nonattorneys. In a single quarter, 12 professors will attempt to teach graduate students in other disciplines to think like a lawyer, reports the Stanford Daily. The whirlwind tour of the legal profession is…

Sep 18, 2007 5:24 PM CDT

Yale Profs Lose Military Recruiter Appeal

A federal appeals court has ruled that the federal government may deny funding to Yale Law School for barring military recruiters from campus. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cited a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the Solomon Amendment, which bars certain federal funding to schools that reject…

Sep 18, 2007 12:38 PM CDT

Chemerinsky to be Rehired as Irvine Dean

In a remarkable about-face, Erwin Chemerinsky is to be rehired as dean of the new law school being created at the University of California at Irvine. For the second time in less than a week, university Chancellor Michael Drake traveled to Durham, N.C., over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times…

Sep 17, 2007 6:14 PM CDT

Will Law School Reverse Chemerinsky Decision?

Updated: Speculation now centers on the possibility that the University of California at Irvine will reverse its decision and seek to rehire Erwin Chemerinsky to be its dean. The school’s chancellor, Michael Drake, told Chemerinsky last week that he was withdrawing the job offer because the Duke professor’s liberal views…

Sep 17, 2007 3:45 PM CDT

UC Irvine Official on Hot Seat in Dean Case

In a rapid-fire change of circumstances, the UC Irvine official who made a controversial decision to fire a renowned constitutional scholar who had just agreed to serve as dean of the institution’s as-yet-unopened new law school is now himself in hot water. Some faculty are now calling for Michael Drake,…

Sep 14, 2007 11:05 PM CDT

Chemerinsky Controversy Heats Up

Outrage over a decision by the University of California’s newest law school to hire as dean—and then fire, before he ever took office—a prominent academic it now reportedly deems too liberal is seemingly at white heat. However, easy to miss in this firestorm is a claim that this isn’t what…

Sep 14, 2007 12:24 AM CDT

Law Profs Back Embattled Ave Maria Faculty

Updated: A continuing faculty controversy at Ave Maria School of Law that has become focused, in part, on a planned campus move from Michigan to Florida is heating up. Faculty say they have been treated outrageously by the current administration, and Christian legal academics are rallying in their support. In…

Sep 13, 2007 7:05 PM CDT

ABA Accreditation Issue for Ave Maria

Updated: An effort to establish a new law school with a religious mission has been threatened by real estate issues and a faculty revolt. However, the dean of Ave Maria School of Law says faculty concerns are overblown, and he is confident that the Catholic institution will soon be doing…

Sep 12, 2007 11:57 PM CDT

Liberal UC Irvine Dean Hired, Then Fired

Updated: Erwin Chemerinsky, a renowned constitutional law scholar at Duke University, reportedly agreed to be dean of the new University of California law school slated to open at Irvine next year—but was then fired a week later due to his controversial political views. So says a University of Texas law…

Sep 12, 2007 6:57 PM CDT

Law Prof Succeeds Despite Schizophrenia

When Elyn Saks got married in 2001, she wondered if aliens might attend the wedding reception. At one point in her life, she thought about kidnapping her psychotherapist and keeping her in a closet, so the woman would always be available for therapy sessions. Yet while Saks, 51, still struggles…

Sep 11, 2007 5:50 PM CDT