News & Announcements - July 2009
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Washington College of Law Professor Jonathan Baker Named Chief Economist at FCC
Professor Jonathan Baker has been named chief economist at the Federal Communications Commission. He will join the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning. "We are thrilled that Professor Baker has been appointed to this critical position," said Washington College of Law Dean Claudio Grossman. "His extensive experience in antitrust and economic regulation will greatly enrich the decision making process of the administration." MORE
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WCL Dean Claudio Grossman Featured in Americas Quarterly
Dean Claudio Grossman's article on "Preparing Human Rights Advocates: Institutionalizing from Below" is in this month's issue of Americas Quarterly, a journal published by the Council of the Americas that is dedicated to deepening policy analysis and debate on economics, finance, and politics in the region. In the article, Grossman discusses the expansion of the Inter-American human rights system, the central role of law students in that expansion, the importance of continual growth in human rights law education, and the leading role that WCL has taken in shaping human rights education in the Americas. Grossman's article is part of a larger feature focusing on human rights law that includes other leading scholars and activists in the field.
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Professor Nancy Polikoff Aids in Legislation for Parental Rights of Same-Sex Partners
WCL Professor Nancy Polikoff was quoted in a Washington Post story today on parental rights for same-sex couples in Washington DC. The law, which Professor Polikoff helped draft, is called the Domestic Partnership Judicial Determination Parentage Act of 2009, and it puts the city out front when it comes to children born of same-sex parents. According to the story, "the name of a consenting spouse or unmarried partner will appear on the child's birth certificate as the legal parent, a status that previously had to be obtained by same-sex parents through a complicated adoption process." MORE
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Dean Grossman Participates in Roundtable on Sotomayor Confirmation Process
Dean Claudio Grossman took part in a Univision panel discussion, together with Roman Hernandez, president elect of the Hispanic National Bar Association, on the confirmation process for Judge Sonia Sotomayor. The interview aired on Univision and TeleFutura stations around the country on Sunday.
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WCL Office of Public Interest Launches Blog
The WCL Office of Public Interest has launched a new blog to offer news and advice to students and alumni. The blog, titled "In the Public Interest," will provide information on employment opportunities, pro bono projects, fellowships, financing a public interest career, and upcoming events. Jarrod Shirk, public interest coordinator, is the blog administrator. He can be reached here for questions or comments regarding this blog or WCL's public interest programming and outreach.
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Steve Vladeck Serves as Counsel to Group of Former Federal Judges Filing Amicus Brief on Supreme Court Case
WCL Professor Steve Vladeck is counsel of record for a group of former federal judges and senior law professors who have filed an amicus brief in a Supreme Court case. The case is Mohawk Industries Inc. v. Norman Carpenter, and it deals with the attorney-client privilege, and whether certain trial court decisions respecting the privilege are immediately appealable. A full text of the brief is available online.
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Washington College of Law and Pan American Health Organization to Collaborate on Human Rights and Health
Washington College of Law and the Pan American Health Organization have signed a memorandum of agreement under which the two organizations will work together to promote health as a human right in PAHO Member States.WCL will use its expertise in international human rights law, international environmental law, international protection of intellectual property, and gender and the law to strengthen efforts by PAHO and its Member States to advance health and reduce health inequities. MORE
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WCL Building Closed Tonight for Electrical Maintenance
The main Washington College of Law building will be closed tonight, July 10, from 7:30 pm until tomorrow morning, July 11, at 6:00 am for building-wide electrical maintenance. Pence Law Library will be closed from Friday at 6:00 pm until Saturday at 9:00 am.
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Washington Seminar Program Welcomes Students from Yeditepe University in Turkey
WCL will welcome undergraduate law students from
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Event to Honor New WCL Faculty Appointees
On Wednesday, July 8, Dean Claudio Grossman and the members of the John Sherman Myers Society will welcome the new appointments to WCL with a reception at Covington and Burling, LLP. These faculty appointees include Lewis Grossman, Nancy Abramowitz, Michael W. Carroll, Jeffrey Lubbers, Victoria Phillips, Joshua Sarnoff, David Snyder, Robert Tsai, Anthony E. Varona, and Perry Wallace.
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Daniel Marcus Testifies at Hearing of Senate Armed Services Committee
WCL Fellow in Law and Government Daniel Marcus testified July 7 at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on alternatives for prosecuting GTMO detainees for war crimes. His full testimony is viewable here.
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Amy L. Tenney Joins WCL as New Associate Director of Program on Law and Government
Amy L. Tenney is the new Associate Director of the Program on Law and Government at WCL. Tenney is joining WCL from the D.C. office of Jenner & Block LLP, where she was a litigation partner. Her work at Jenner & Block ranged from government contracting matters to death penalty litigation. After law school, she clerked for Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and Judge Frank M. Coffin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She also previously served as Chief Aide to then-ACLU President Nadine Strossen.
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Professor Brenda Smith Appears on Kojo Nnamdi Show
WCL Professor Brenda Smith appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on 88.5 WAMU FM Monday to discuss the ongoing problem of prison rape. Smith is the director of the Project to Address Prison Rape, and a member of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission that issued a report June 23 on sexual abuse in U.S. correctional and detention facilities. The report included a comprehensive set of proposed federal standards to address prison rape.
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Professor Vladeck Participates in Washington Post Live Chat
Professor Stephen Vladeck took questions LIVE on WashingtonPost.com Monday afternoon about the New Haven firefighters decision, its potential impact on Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation, and the Bernie Madoff sentencing, among other timely issues.
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WCL Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Israel-U.S. Fellowship Program
WCL is proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the US-Israel Civil Liberties Law Program, a joint project of WCL and the New Israel Fund. The program was founded in 1984 by WCL Professor Herman Schwartz whose distinguished academic career has focused on issues of civil rights and civil liberties across the globe. A special 25th anniversary celebration of the program took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 25, 2009, at which Dr. Neta Ziv, director of the Cegla Clinical Law Program at Tel Aviv University Law School was awarded the first annual Herman Schwartz Human Rights award. MORE
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Washington College of Law LL.M. Alumnus Appointed to World Trade Organization Appellate Body
The WCL International Legal Studies Program congratulates alumnus Ricardo Ramirez Hernandez on his appointment to the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body for four years beginning July 1. Ramírez, head of the International Trade Practice for Latin America at the law firm of Chadbourne & Parke in Mexico City, received an LL.M. in International Legal Studies with a specialization in International Business Law from WCL in 1994. MORE
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Dean Claudio Grossman to Participate in UN Forum on Minority Issues
Dean Claudio Grossman, in his capacity as chair of the United Nations Committee against Torture, will participate in a preparatory meeting Friday, July 3 for the second session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, scheduled for November 12-13, 2009 in Geneva. The theme addressed at this year's Forum will be "Minorities and Political Participation". The Forum, headed by Gay McDougall, the UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues, was established to "identify and analyze best practices, challenges, opportunities, and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities."