Professor David Garrow will speak at a conference, "Roe at 40: What Have We Learned?" at Stanford Law School's Constitutional Law Center on March 7 and 8. Professor Garrow will present his remarks as part of a panel on "Roe v. Wade in History."
See the conference agenda here.
Professor Rhonda Wasserman joined an amicus brief submitted to the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor (12-307), one of the same-sex marriage cases before the Court this term. The brief provides the Court “with a more complete understanding of the history of law and policy with respect to the relationship between marriage and procreation.” It explains “that the purported justifications for the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) . . . that pertain to procreation, childrearing, and child welfare lack a ‘footing in the realities’ of the law, policy, history, or logic of marriage and do not provide a rational basis for DOMA.” The brief also demonstrates “how DOMA undermines and is inconsistent with other federal and state laws and policy regarding families and childrearing.”
Click here to read the brief.
Professor Vivian Curran's new article, The Military Trial at Rennes: Text and Subtext of the Dreyfus Affair, has been published at 29 Touro L. Rev. 5 (2012)
Professor David Harris testified at Pittsburgh City Council on the selection of a new Chief of Police for the city. Former Chief Nathan Harper resigned recently over corruption allegation (he has not been charged). Professor Harris said that the selection should not be made until the next mayor takes office. The new chief should be a person of the highest personal integrity, with significant leadership and administrative experience. Harris also recommended the formation of a citizens advisory board to assist the mayor in the selection.
See the WPXI video here; the WTAE video is here.
Professor John Burkoff discussed the possible impeachment of PA Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin, who has been convicted of political corruption charges. Professor Burkoff believes that legislators will do almost anything to avoid having to go through the impeachment process. "The impeachment process is messy, complicated, time-consuming, expensive and potentially embarrassing to members of both political parties."
Read the full story here.
Professor John Burkoff's new textbook, "Jumpstart Criminal Law: Reading and Understanding Criminal Cases and Statutes (Aspen, 2013), was published on March 4.
For more information on the book, click here.
Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science (NYU Press, 2012) has been reviewed in Chemical and Engineering News, the publication of the prestigious American Chemical Society. The review, entitled "Why Criminal Law Ignores Science," reads in part:
[The book] discusses the three most common causes of wrongful convictions, makes recommendations to help right the ship immediately as well as long term, and takes on law enforcement and prosecution that refuse to implement any meaningful changes—even in the face of scientific proof that doing so would decrease the number of wrongful convictions.
This “resistance to sound, science-based police investigative methods” is the theme of “Failed Evidence.” The book is an easy and informative read best suited for policymakers, scientists, advocates, judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, defense attorneys, and anyone with a general interest in the American criminal justice system. Truth be told, anyone who might find themselves sitting in the chair of a juror should read Harris’ book before sitting in judgment of a fellow human.
....
Harris paints a picture suggesting that together we can make a difference. We will never be perfect, but we can do things much better. “Ignoring science, when doing so increases the risk of wrongful convictions, simply does not square with justice or fairness,” he writes. Positive change must happen and as Harris concludes, “Justice demands no less.”
You can read the full review here.
Essential Pittsburgh, a live one-hour program broadcast weekdays from noon to 1 p.m. on WESA Radio (90.5 FM), will feature an interview tomorrow, Wednesday, March 6, with Pitt Law Professor David Harris.
Host Paul Guggenheimer will talk with Associate Dean for Research David A. Harris about the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, which established that the right of an indigent defendant in a criminal trial to have the assistance of counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial. March 18 will mark the 50th anniversary of the unanimous ruling.
Listeners may tune in to 90.5 FM or visit http://www.essentialpublicradio.org/esspgh and click on “Listen Live.” Essential Pittsburgh will be rebroadcast tomorrow evening from 8-9 p.m.
A blog post on the "Enterprising Investor" blog discussed Professor Lawrence Frolik's presentation at the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. The blog post, titled "Grappling with Alzeimer's: Advising Clients on the High Costs of Aging," said that in his presentation Professor Frolik and his co-panelist, attorney Bernard Krooks, argued that " as people live longer, the numbers of elderly with dementia or other memory/cognition impairments rise, along with the need for assistance (i.e., long-term care)."
"Enterprising Investor" is published by the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Institute. See the entire post here.
Professor Elena Baylis participated in the symposium, “Exploring Civil Society through the Writings of Dr. Seuss” at New York Law School on Friday, March 1. She spoke about Dr. Seuss’s “The Butter Battle Book” and our conceptions of war.
Details can be found here.
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