Civil Rights Appellate Clinic Submits Second SCOTUS Amicus Brief
Just midway through its first full semester of operation, Minnesota Law’s new Civil Rights Appellate Clinic filed its second amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court.
A Star Tribune piece on efforts to change the 16-member Met Council from an appointed to elected body quoted Professor Myron Orfield, a longtime critic of the council’s structure.
"The Met Council has really gone off the rails," said Professor Orfield, who has written two books about local government. Orfield pushed for elected members in the 1990s, but the measure was vetoed by Gov. Arne Carlson, the Star Tribune noted.
"When tyrannies go bad, they don't get any better," Orfield said. "In democracies, you can throw the bums out."
Minnesota Law's Law in Practice Program was recently featured in Bloomberg Law article highlighting innovative efforts amongst law schools in the field of experiential learning. Required for every 1L student in their second semester, the Law in Practice (LiP) program features small group simulations led by local practicing attorneys. Professor Ryder, director of the program, said “Law in Practice addresses that criticism head-on by laying the foundation for what practicing attorneys do day to day.
Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted by the Associated Press on Minnesotan courts expanding access to audiovisual coverage of criminal proceedings starting next year. Reflecting on the occasion, Professor Kirtley said, “I really cannot say enough about what a giant step forward this is for Minnesota.”
Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, UN Special UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter Terrorism, had a press conference after delivering her latest report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, at its 52nd session.
Minnesota Law Mourns the Passing of Jeanne McCareins, Longtime Friend and Supporter of the Law School
Jeanne K. McCareins, a longtime friend and supporter of the Law School and spouse of the late Ralph McCareins ‘25, passed away on March 11 at the age of 97.
Jeanne established the Ralph M. McCareins Award in honor of Ralph, who passed away in 1982.
Jeanne had many interests but her primary focus was her family and being an active participant in their lives.
In lieu of flowers, her family has requested donations in her honor be made to the Law School’s Ralph M. McCareins Scholarship Fund.
Professor Paul Vaaler was interviewed on WCCO and KARE11 on the recent collapses of Silicon Valley and Signature Banks. The commonality between the two, Professor Vaaler explained, was that they were "both aggressive lenders in the tech sector." With a large percentage of their investments during the pandemic era being low-interest treasuries, the banks were caught in a reverse squeeze due to nationally rising interest rates.
Commencement 2023
May 13, 2023, 9:00 to 11:00 am
In a story on the Law School's Law in Practice (LiP) Program, Minnesota Lawyer interviewed Assistant Professor of Appellate Advocacy Randall Ryder '09, who directs the LiP program.
“The legal profession, and law school specifically, has been criticized for not paying enough attention to the development and cultivation of both practical and professional skills for students and new practicing attorneys,” Ryder said. "LiP develops and cultivates practical and professional skills for students and allows them to hit the ground running the summer after their 1L year.”
Professor Dan Schwarcz was quoted by the Star Tribune in an article covering a cyberattack that hit Minneapolis Public Schools' in late February. The high number of school-issued devices makes school districts are particularly vulnerable target, and school IT departments are already being overstretched. This increase of attacks has seen a dramatic impact on the cost of cyber insurance for school districts. Prof. Schwarcz shared, "This sort of attack has just skyrocketed.