Your Face Belongs to Us: A Book Talk with Kashmir Hill
March 26, 2024, 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Law in Practice Continues to Lead in Innovative Education
Bloomberg Law honors Law in Practice for overall excellence in practical skills training for the second year in a row.
Bloomberg Law Honors Law in Practice for Overall Excellence in Practical Skills Training for the Second Year in a Row
Adjunct Professor Imani Jaafar wasn’t surprised to learn that the Law in Practice (LiP) course at Minnesota Law earned national recognition from Bloomberg Law for the second year running. In her four years as an adjunct professor for the class, Jaafar has witnessed its innovative approach to teaching 1Ls the day-to-day skills they will need to practice law.
Both the Star Tribune and MPR News quoted Professor JaneAnne Murray in articles about the recent win of the Clemency Project Clinic, which successfully petitioned for resentencing on behalf of a client convicted of felony murder. Emma Kruger, '23, drafted the petition under Murray's supervision and argued it before the sentencing judge. Megan Cater had been convicted of aiding and abetting unintentional murder (commonly known as "felony murder") arising out of her participation in a burglary of a drug dealer that ended tragically.
Professor Richard Painter co-authored an opinion piece on CNN about Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on President Biden and classified documents. In it, Professor Painter and the co-authors agreed with the special counsel’s conclusion that Biden should not be prosecuted for retaining and sharing classified information. But, they took exception to Hur’s comments on Biden’s age and memory as beyond what is necessary. They called these gratuitous and go against Justice Department procedures.
Professor Jill Hasday appeared on National Public Radio’s Planet Money to discuss her book, Intimate Lies and the Law, and the rise and fall of heartbalm torts.
As reported by KMSP, earlier this week, Megan Cater, a client of the Law School's Clemency Clinic, was the first to be resentenced under legislation passed last year by the Minnesota legislature narrowing the category of individuals who could be charged with the crime of aiding and abetting felony murder. Ms. Cater and her co-defendant Briana Martinson had originally pled to felony murder arising out of a burglary that ended in a tragic death, receiving sentences of 13.5 years each.
Emanual Williams ’23 and the Clemency Project Clinic Successfully Advocate to Have a Client's Sentence Commuted
Emanual Williams ’23 had just graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School and was studying for the bar when he argued for and won a commutation from the Minnesota Board of Pardons (BOP) for the client he had represented as a student in the Law School’s Clemency Project Clinic. The client, Hansakda Souvannarath, had been the driver in a drive-by shooting when he was just 19 years old. In 1995, he was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, followed by an additional sentence of 17 consecutive years.
Prof. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin was featured on the Lawfare Podcast about prosecuting sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict. Professor Ní Aoláin is a former special rapporteur for the United Nations. In the podcast, she discussed the legal framework around sexual and gender-based violence, the challenges of prosecuting these acts of violence as international crimes, and where the law fails.
Minnesota Law Mourns the Passing of Former Professor Dan L. Burk
The University of Minnesota Law School joins together with the University of California Irvine School of Law (UCI Law), colleagues, friends, family, and the legal community to mourn the passing of former Minnesota Law professor Dan L. Burk, who served on the Minnesota Law School faculty from 2000 to 2008. Professor Burk was a Distinguished and Chancellor’s Professor of Law and founding faculty member and the first Chancellor’s Professor at UCI Law. He passed away on Sunday, February 4.
