Releases Archive

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has included Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im among its annual list of Great Immigrants. The 2020 list honors 38 naturalized citizens who have enriched and strengthened our nation and democracy through their contributions and actions.

The virtual version of this year’s Emory University School of Law graduation ceremonies occurred May 11, following the university’s online Commencement program. The event honored the law school’s more than 360 graduates in programs including master of laws, Juris Master, and Juris Doctor.

Frederick Johnson, Captain, United States Air Force –or Eric Johnson 20L, as his Emory family knows him –will walk out of Emory Law with his juris doctor with high honors and march into a unique career as a judge advocate.

The Emory University School of Law Volunteer Clinic for Veterans (VCV) launched a program to provide advance directives, wills, and other estate planning assistance to medical residents completing their training at Emory University School of Medicine.

Accomplished health law scholar and teacher Matthew B. Lawrence will join Emory Law’s faculty as associate professor of law this fall.

The Emory Law Volunteer Clinic for Veterans (VCV) welcomed a new staff attorney.

Elliott 66L will receive the 19th Annual Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award honoring an attorney and a judge who have and continue to demonstrate the highest professional conduct and paramount reputation for professionalism.

Emory University receives $1 million NoVo foundation grant to advance systems-based solutions to end commercial sexual exploitation. Emory Law’s Barton Child Law and Policy Center part of multi-sector partnership to advance systems-based solutions to support marginalized communities

Dean Mary Anne Bobinski invites us to reflect on how our actions, reactions, or inaction square with MLK's ideals. How would Dr. King define justice?

Joanna M. Shepherd has been named Thomas Simmons Professor of Law, in recognition of exceptional scholarship and her substantial contributions to the study of legal institutions.

Spanish businessman and philanthropist Gonzalo Rodriguez-Fraile has pledged a substantial gift that will support the work of Emory’s Spruill Family Professor of Law and Religion Rafael Domingo.

The Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law represented Emory in the development and negotiation of a new partnership with The Conservation Fund.

Today is Veterans Day, a formal recognition of the commitment and valor that safeguards the rule of law and protects us all. This day acknowledges the sacrifice required of our military personnel and their families.

Digital platform engages video and social media to encourage scholarly discussion

The Center for International and Comparative Law will present the annual David J. Bederman Lecture. This year's lecture will be delivered by The Honorable Rosalie Silberman Abella on the topic "International Law and Prospects for Justice."

Emory Law's Juris Master Program, offered on campus and online, is designed to help professionals like Ayinde Luqman to become more specialized in their field and enhance their knowledge of the law.

On Friday, September 27, Emory Law's Center for International and Comparative Law will host a conference, "NATO @ 70: The Role of International Law in Collective Security."

The US Senate confirmed two Emory University School of Law graduates to federal judgeships.

Professor Dorothy A. Brown has been named Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law. Brown is a Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law and an advocate for economic and social justice.

On the last day of the term, the justices surprised many by agreeing to take up DACA, setting in motion for next year the highly anticipated argument over immigration policy and presidential authority left hanging three years ago with the court¿s 4-4 split in a related case, United States v. Texas.

Because the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution bans cruel and punishment, it places certain limits on whom may be executed, including the State may not execute a person who is so mentally incapacitated as to not have a rational understanding of the basic reasons for the execution, in light of Ford v. Wainwright, and Panetti v. Quarterman. This past term, in the case of Madison v. Alabama, the United States Supreme Court considered the scope of that limitation.

Not all Supreme Court arbitration decisions feature strident 5-4 splits of opinion. Such contentious cases, like Lamps Plus this year (see separate analysis), deal with requirements that claimants pursue their claims alone, rather than en masse. When it comes to arbitration procedure, however, the court generated unanimous opinions in New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira, 139 S. Ct. 532 (2019) and Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, 139 S. Ct. 524 (2019).

The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy and his replacement with Justice Brett Kavanaugh will likely shape the doctrine of the United States Supreme Court in significant ways for decades to come. The rejection of challenges to partisan gerrymandering in Rucho v. Common Cause offered an early example of the impact of this transformation.

The government action at issue in American Legion v. American Humanist Association concerned a 94-year-old, 32-foot-high "Peace Cross" on a pedestal atop a busy intersection near Bladensburg, Maryland. The Peace Cross was erected by private groups in 1925 as a memorial to the 49 citizens of Prince George's County, Maryland, who died in World War I. The State of Maryland took ownership of the site in 1961 and has maintained it with public funds ever since.

In Knick v. Township of Scott, Pa., 139 S. Ct. 2162 (2019), the Supreme Court overruled decades-old precedent to hold that Takings Clause plaintiffs can come to federal court without first exhausting their state court remedies. The court's holding discards a 1985 ruling the consequences of which went far beyond what the justices in that case likely contemplated when they first required exhaustion of state remedies.

In Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, 139 S. Ct. 1485 (2019), the United States Supreme Court held that one state cannot constitutionally waive another state's sovereign immunity with respect to suits filed against the second state in the courts of the first state. In so doing, the court overruled its decision in Nevada v. Hall, 440 U.S. 410 (1979).

It is becoming a tradition: each year, we seem to get another 5-4 Supreme Court decision enforcing arbitration that requires individual, and forbids aggregate, resolution of claims. This year's case is Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (April 24, 2019). Neither the result nor the 5-4 split surprised anyone.

This term the Supreme Court held that a trial court may properly consider a prosecutor¿s past history of Batson violations when evaluating that prosecutor¿s reason for striking a juror in a current case. The challenge arose from a murder case that originated in the small town of Winona, Mississippi, more than two decades ago.

Sometimes, significant impact arises in the unobserved work of the Supreme Court, even while it is in session. The court often issues orders that appear to deal with procedural issues. But even those seemingly innocuous decisions can have significant impact. Such a scenario arose during the October 2018 Supreme Court term as it relates to the ability of transgender persons to serve in the military.

Two professors in the Center for the Study of Law and Religion published Cambridge University Press titles that examine intersections of religion and law.

Emory has named Mary Anne Bobinski dean of Emory University School of Law. She will assume the post in August 2019, becoming the first woman to serve in the role since the school's founding in 1916.

On Mother's Day, in a new venue and among a packed house of family and friends, 454 students crossed the stage in recognition of their graduation from Emory University School of Law.

Earl Porter III 19L parlays difficult beginnings into a celebrated end as he prepares to graduate from Emory Law.

Professors Polly Price and Jonathan Nash were recently honored for scholarly writing.

Four attorneys will be recognized during Emory Law Alumni Weekend for public service and trailblazing, and for exceptional and distinguished careers. They are: Lewis S. "Mike" Eidson, Lori G. Cohen, John Maggio, and Donna Yip. Interim Dean James B. Hughes Jr. will present the awards during an April 12 reception at the law school.

Tyler Quinn Yeargain, a third-year student at Emory University School of Law, was among the ten winners for his piece, "Discretion Versus Supersession: Calibrating the Power Balance Between Local Prosecutors and State Officials."

US Senator Cory Booker contacted Emory Law Professor Ani Satz to draft what would become the "Primate Protection and Research Modernization Act of 2018" after reading her opinion article on Volkswagen's primate experiments.

On Tuesday, February 5, 2019, Emory University School of Law hosted the 23rd annual Emory Public Interest Committee's (EPIC) Inspiration Awards, which honored two community members and an Emory Law graduate for exceptional public service.

Interim Dean James B. Hughes, Jr.'s message of diversity and service at Emory University Schoo of Law on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Emory University School of Law presents "Revisiting Dr. King's Theory of Love, Power, and Justice," a lecture by Robert M. Franklin Jr., James T. and Berta R. Laney Professor in Moral Leadership.

David Adelman 89L and Richard Hubert 60L, the two alumni chosen as this year's Emory Medalists, share both a global worldview and a JD from Emory Law.

McDonald Distinguished Fellow Mark Storslee was recently awarded the 2020 Harold Berman Award for Excellence in Scholarship by the Law and Religion Section of the Association of American Law Schools.

Robert M. Franklin Jr., James T. and Berta R. Laney Professor in Moral Leadership, led the celebration with a lecture titled "Revisiting Dr. King's Theory of Power, Love, and Justice."

Emory Law has been recognized by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) with a 2018 CLEO Edge Founders Award in honor of CLEO's 50th anniversary.

John Witte Jr. has been invited as a Gifford Lecturer for 2020, a celebratory year that marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Scottish jurist Adam Lord Gifford, founder of the esteemed lecture series begun in 1888.

Alumni demonstrate how their legal education enables them to practice law in the international sphere.

Emory Law is a collaborator in enforcing the rule of law ¿ internationally and cosmically.

Emory Law professors teach advocacy across the world and bring home the benefits of exposure to other legal systems.

Two students spend the summer studying international law in the Netherlands for their Bederman Fellowship.

Dorothy Brown has been selected to receive the Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award, given through the Georgia Independent College Association (GICA).

Emory Law celebrates Veterans Day by saluting the many veterans among our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We also recognize the sacrifices of those whose loved ones serve.

Emory Law teams bring home trophies for wins at two mock trial competitions in the same weekend.

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dwight A. McBride details how "profoundly important this transition is both for Emory and for Emory Law."

Emory just announced its Class of 2018 '40 under 40,' which includes four Emory Law alumni. They are: Brandon Goldberg, Stacy Tolos Kane, Kurt Kastorf and Sara Toering.

The American Law Institute has elected L. Q. C. Lamar Professor of Law Barbara Bennett Woodhouse as one of its thirty-one new members.

Emory Law's chapter of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) has received the IRAP Best Chapter Award for 2018

Emory Law and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered to launch Community Legal Clinic - an organization handling immigration issues at no cost.

Representatives from the Turner Environmental Law Clinic, Georgia Tech's Strategic Energy Institute, and the University of Georgia have published the Georgia Model Solar Zoning Ordinance and accompanying explanatory guide.

The Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI) has announced the recipients of its 2018 Seed Grant Program, including Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law Margo Bagley.

With the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy and the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to succeed him, much may change on the United States Supreme Court. Justice Kennedy served as the deciding vote in many closely contested cases, including siding with his more liberal colleagues in rulings affirming the right to same-sex marriage, upholding affirmative action in higher education, and protecting the right to an abortion.

The recent decision of Husted v. A Philip Randolph Institute, delivered on June 11, 2018, illustrates how leaving a gap between state and federal control of voting regulation can frustrate the purposes of the statute.

Laurie Blank, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the International Humanitarian Law Clinic, will lead Emory Law's Center for International and Comparative Law.

The Supreme Court dealt a significant blow to public-sector unions in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, ruling 5 to 4 that states could not require government employees to pay union fees.

In Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, decided on May 21, the Supreme Court continued its steady march of enforcing adhesion clauses that require individual (and forbid aggregate) arbitration. Again, the court split 5-to-4, and there is a vigorous dissent. The majority aptly refers to the "mountain of precedent" under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) that thwarts the dissent. Epic Systems must be seen in the context of that "mountain."

The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy's slot on the U.S. Supreme Court comes at one of the most divided times in the court's history, says Emory's Robert Schapiro, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law.

Emory Law faculty members will participate in the Poland-US Conference on the Rule of Law on June 26 in Warsaw.

Professor Jonathan Nash has assumed the role of director of the Emory University Center for Law and Social Science.

When the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, many believed the court would answer the vexing question of which policy interest prevails when nondiscrimination laws and religious liberties collide. But the court did no such thing. Instead, the justices effectively punted, leaving that question unanswered.

Emory University School of Law announced the selection of Carol D. Newman, transactional professor of law at the University of Missouri School of Law, as the inaugural winner of the Tina L. Stark Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Transactional Law and Skills.

Mindy Goldstein has co-authored the new Georgia Climate Research Roadmap and has been named one of inaugural Sustainability Faculty Fellows.

Technology companies depend on professionals from foreign countries to remain innovative and competitive, but experts say the difficulty such professionals face in navigating the immigration system and securing green cards is contributing to a so-called reverse brain drain, with talented engineers leaving the US and returning to work in their home countries, including India and China.

The Emory Law Houses program helps advise students both on the traditional requirements for the law degree and on the skills required to finish the marathon of earning the law degree.

Emory's International Humanitarian Law Clinic (IHLC) celebrates ten years in operation during the 2017-2018 academic year.

In 2014, digital music downloads and streaming subscriptions overtook CD sales for the first time. The development raised a pointed question. Who owns what in the digital age?

Blockchain technology has the potential to dramatically change document storage management and to transform how people authenticate a variety of transactions. It also stands to reinvent the time-consuming processes of writing, revising, and handling contracts.

It was a lonely first few days for Seruwaia Nayacalevu-Masi 18L when she started her studies at Emory University School of Law. Now, Nayacalevu-Masi can claim friends from China, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Jamaica, India, England, Vietnam, Liberia, Germany, Venezuela, and the United States of America.

Rachel Stone 18L recently received her Juris Master degree from Emory University School of Law. In a Q & A, she shared what led her to the school, how she plans to use her degree, and how she managed the rigor of law school and a full-time career.