In This Issue
News Briefs
| 2009-2010 law school calendar photo contest |
| Congratulations to 2009 federal judicial law clerks |
| Petition for temporary protected status for Haitians |
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FlaLaw Online is published each week school is in session by the Levin College of Law Communications Office: Fredric G. Levin College of Law |
UF Law student Shelly Garg performs a Bollywood dance during LawLawPalooza at Backstage Lounge on March 19. (UF Law/ Charles Roop)
ACLU speaks out against Gainesville's Charter Amendment 1
On Tuesday, a local Gainesville election could send ripples throughout the country. Gainesville will vote on Charter Amendment 1, which would repeal part of the Gainesville city charter that grants nondiscrimination protection to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders. According to Shelbi Day, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Florida, the proponents of this amendment are looking to spread their anti-gay agenda throughout the country. “They know that if they’re successful here, it will send a clear message that, ‘If we can do it in Gainesville, we can do it anywhere in the South,” Day said. “We either nip it in the bud here and say the discrimination stops here and we slow this effort down, or we see kind of a broader widespread effort throughout the country, and that’s really no exaggeration.”
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Social obligation: The court’s new concept for landowners
The right to exclude others from private property is not what it used to be.
That was the message recently delivered by Gregory Alexander, a prominent Cornell University land-use law professor and speaker for the Second Annual Wolf Family Lecture in the American Law of Real Property. “U.S. courts are looking at the social responsibility of landowners to provide access for the health and sociability of the public,” Alexander said. “The state of New Jersey is taking the lead on this issue provoking new thoughts on private property and owners’ rights.”
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CSRRR lecture: "Celebrating Civil Rights in the Age of Obama"
Last fall, in Baltimore County, Maryland, Professor Sherrilyn Ifill’s neighbor debuted a “brand-spanking-new” confederate flag in front of his home. It had been only days since the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States. The flag struck a nerve with Ifill, a University of Maryland School of Law professor. She immediately told her husband, “we have to move.” While she later decided that the flag did not warrant relocation, the timing of its display, as well as the emotional distress and pain that the confederate flag still causes for many, revealed an ugly truth about American society post-election: racism is not dead.
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IRS chief counsel talks tax policy at annual Graduate Tax lecture
If the old adage that death and taxes are the only certain things in the world holds true, then perhaps Clarissa C. Potter, acting chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, can boast the ultimate job security. On March 20, Potter presented a lecture to the Levin College of Law titled “Globalization’s Current Challenges to U.S. Tax Policy Makers and Administrators.” Potter, a graduate of Yale Law School and former professor of the Georgetown University Law Center, has held positions in both the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy and the Joint Committee on Taxation of the United States Congress. Potter also practiced with the firm Sullivan & Cromwell in New York. Undoubtedly, her wealth of experience serves her well in her current position with the IRS.
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UF law professor named to Judicial Nominating Commission for federal posts
A University of Florida professor of law has been tapped to serve on the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission. Nominees recommended by the JNC for federal judges, U.S. attorneys and marshals will be among the first considered by the newly-installed Obama Administration. Jon Mills, a UF Levin College of Law alumni, dean emeritus, professor of law, director for the UF Center for Governmental Responsibility, and former Florida Speaker of the House has accepted an appointment by senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez to serve a two-year term on the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC).
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Wright provides insight in Madoff case
Wright was used as a legal source to provide insight into the constitutional protection provided homeowners in Florida. Bernard Madoff’s wife has declared her Palm Beach, Florida, estate as her primary residence, a move that may shield the $9.4 million home from creditors. Ruth Madoff applied for and received a homestead exemption for property taxes, said Dorothy Jacks, assistant property appraiser for Palm Beach County. The Florida constitution protects homeowners who have obtained the exemption and seizing the property may be difficult, said Danaya Wright.
Faculty Scholarship & Activities»
Upcoming Events
Weyrauch Distinguished Lecture in Family Law March 23
Professor Naomi Cahn will deliver the third annual Weyrauch Distinguished Lecture in Family Law on Monday, March 23, 2009 at noon in room 180, with a reception following the lecture in the Faculty Dining Room. Professor Cahn’s talk, “Family Classes,” will focus on how family and class issues are intertwined, drawing upon research in her two recent books, Test Tube Babies (NYU Press 2009) and Red Families/Blue Families (Oxford U Press, forthcoming 2009). Professor Cahn is the John Theodore Fey Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School.
Clinic open house/application Q&A March 24
Interested in counseling clients, advocating for children, prosecuting or defending in a criminal case, mediating in county court, or even doing a jury trial? You should look closely at one
of the law school's excellent clinic programs. Clinics offer the rare opportunity to apply classroom theory in a practice setting while learning valuable lawyering skills. Students are closely supervised by one of our highly experienced clinical professors/practitioners. In a number of the clinics, students gain valuable experience collaborating with social workers, mental health and family counselors, or dispute resolution experts. For more details about the clinics, attend the clinic open house/application Q&A next Tuesday, March 24, in the clinic suite, 100 Bruton-Geer Hall, from noon to 1 p.m. Meet the professors and some of the current interns.
Dunwody Distinguished Lecture March 24
Dunwody Distinguished Lecture: Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law & Political Science, Yale Law School, on March 24, at 10 a.m. in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (HOL 180).
ESPN legal analyst to deliver UF Center for Governmental Responsibility lecture April 3
Center for Governmental Responsibility Annual Lecture: Roger Cossack, legal analyst for ESPN, will speak on “Media and the Law” on April 3, at 10 a.m. in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (HOL 180).
News Briefs
2009-2010 law school calendar photo contest
Are you a photographer who would like to see your work in print? This year, the Communications Office and Student Affairs is asking you to submit your best photo for the 2009-2010 calendar. The winning photo will be chosen by a committee and published in the 2009-2010 calendar. The deadline to submit is April 1, 2009. Guidelines: Photos in the law school calendar should reflect the law school or University of Florida campus, recognizable sites around the City of Gainesville or Alachua County, major sporting events, museums, landmarks and nature, just to name a few. The following are provided as suggestions, but are not required: Law school campus, Graduation,Athletics – Football, Basketball, BCS Championship, Hippodrome Theatre, Lake Wauberg, Ginnie Springs/ Poe Springs, Alligators, Nature, Payne’s Prairie, Notable/ familiar UF Symbols. Only one submission per person;
photos must be high-resolution (at least 200 ppi); and photos must be submitted electronically to Katie Blasewitz by April 1, 2009. Photo disqualifications:
Photos of explicit or graphic language and/or images; Portraits and/or headshots of an individual. For examples of photos used in previous calendars, visit www.law.ufl.edu/news/calendar.shtml. For more information contact Communications Coordinator Katie Blasewitz at blasewitz@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0652. (Photo by Joshua Lukman)
Congratulations to 2009 federal judicial law clerks
Lorna Cobb, Chief Judge Hugh Lawson, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia; Larry Dougherty, Judge Charles R. Wilson, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; Michael Friedman, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul G. Hyman; Margaret Hunt, Judge Morales Howard U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida; David Karp, Judge Susan Bucklew, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida; Sasha Lohn-McDermott, Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida; Elizabeth Manno, Judge John Richard Smoak, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida; Charles Roberson, Senior Judge Peter T. Fay, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; Dante Trevisani, Senior Judge James L. King, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida; Lindsay Saxe, Judge Steven D. Merryday, U.S. District for the Middle District of Florida; Ben Williamson, Judge M. Casey Rodgers, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. A Judicial Clerkship is a prestigious, paid-position for a law graduate, who is employed by a judge to assist with research, writing, and review of opinions and orders, usually for a one- or two-year period. At times, the judicial clerk first will have completed a judicial externship for the particular judge who then hires the law student for the law clerk position upon graduation. A judicial clerkship is a great way to begin your legal career and opens many employment doors upon completion. Judicial clerkships are available in both the federal and state courts. Make plans to attend the two upcoming judicial clerkship programs on 4/1 at 12pm in FDR to listen to Gator judicial law clerks, and on 4/8 at 12pm in FDR to learn about the process from obtaining letters of recommendation to applying to accepting an offer. Please be aware that the judicial application process typically is accomplished over one year in advance, so don’t miss out on great opportunities by missing critical deadlines. 2L's will be applying during SUMMER 2009 for positions beginning fall 2010.
Petition for temporary protected status for Haitians
As future advocates and social engineers, we have great civic duty to raise the concerns of our community, particularly when circumstances call for us to advocate for better public policy. Presently, our community is devastated by the forceful mass exodus of over 30,000 Haitians living in the United States. As you all may know, as of last fall, Haiti was repeatedly devastated by three natural disasters. As Haiti is a third world country struggling to recover from these natural disasters, the country does not have the capacity or resources to take in over 30,000 Haitian deportees. Consequently, the Prime Minister and President of Haiti kindly requested the U.S. government provide Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. In response, former President Bush denied the requests; meanwhile, renewing Temporary Protected Status for other countries who recovered 10 years ago by Hurricane Minch. Today, much of Haiti remains buried under mudslides after being hit repeatedly by three hurricanes. Without foreign help, the government of Haiti would not have been able to distribute meager relief to few areas within a devastated country. The overt disparity of treatment, apathy, and current state of Haiti are evidence that there is need to advocate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, as afforded to other respective groups. With the help of our law community, we can raise attention on this prolonged issue that affects our community. Throughout this week, a petition to halt the deportation of Haitians and a request for Temporary Protected Status for Haitian deportees will be circulating. Please spread, for we can not sit in silence as this travesty occurs. For more information on this matter, e-mail trichem@ufl.edu.
CaribLaw will have a table in the courtyard next week if you are interested in signing the petition.
Upcoming Events
| Weyrauch Distinguished Lecture in Family Law March 23 |
| Clinic open house/application Q&A March 24 |
| Dunwody Distinguished Lecture March 24 |
| Pro Bono & Community Service Options March 19 |
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Career Services
| At the beginning of every week, check out The CCS BUZZ for a quick synopsis of programming, recruiting, networking and volunteer and "SHIP" opportunities available to you. The CCS Buzz can be found in FlaLaw Online, via link on your Symplicity homepage after you log in, or you can pick up a hard copy in Career Services 244 Bruton-Geer Hall. |
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