Mar

19

The Zilber Forum: A Great Legacy

Posted by: | March 19, 2010 | 1 Comment

The Zilber Forum will be the heart of Eckstein Hall, the impressive building that will become the home of Marquette University Law School this summer. I can think of four ways that it is appropriate to consider the Forum as a great part of the legacy of the Milwaukee real estate developer and philanthropist who [...]

Mar

18

Wanna Run a Large High School?

Posted by: | March 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Another serving of educational food for thought: 1)      Nobody seems to know where the current tumult around low performing schools is heading, but wherever it is, it looks like people will get there quickly. There is as much as $45 million in federal aid on the table to do something about schools in Wisconsin that [...]

Mar

18

The Business of Bigness

Posted by: | March 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Last summer, Eric Dash of the New York Times wrote an excellent article on the problems associated with big business in the U.S.  Dash noted that almost 100 years ago, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote prophetically about the “curse of bigness.”  Justice Brandeis denounced generally the influence that big business had on U.S. politics [...]

Mar

18

Strong Week for the Wisconsin Criminal Law System

Posted by: | March 18, 2010 | 2 Comments

3L Ron Tusler forwards an important bit of news regarding the Wisconsin criminal justice system: Governor Doyle recognized on Monday that Wisconsin needs to do more to comply with the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment.  The Sixth Amendment requires that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right . . . to have the [...]

Mar

13

A Rainy Day in Boston

Posted by: | March 13, 2010 | 1 Comment

Our National Appellate Advocacy Competition adventures came to an end today.  One team advanced to the semifinal rounds, and I tried to explain to the teams that their performances were really outstanding accomplishments.  But I don’t think it helped much.  We also learned that the Labor and Employment Law team failed to reach the finals; though, [...]

Mar

12

Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Team Advances

Posted by: | March 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment

I also received news today that our moot court team competing in the Wagner Labor and Employment Law Competition has advanced to the octo-final round.  The students on that team are Allison Luczak, Michael Miner, and Jesse Dill, coached by Professors Phoebe Williams and Paul Secunda. The Wagner Competition is in its 34th year, and [...]

Mar

12

Two More Terrific Arguments in Boston

Posted by: | March 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment

A win and a loss, but excellent arguments in any event.  The loss was a little heartbreaking, in that it was by half of one point. I remain optimistic for our teams’ chances in the next round, the final preliminary round, which will take place tomorrow morning.  These students are incredible oral advocates.  I wish [...]

Mar

12

To Iqbal or Not to Iqbal?

Posted by: | March 12, 2010 | 1 Comment

One of the recent challenges for Civil Procedure profs has been to explain the Twombly/Iqbal event to students already struggling to understand what often seems to be an arcane and highly contrived subject. I begin by lowering expectations, showing a slide of a local federal judge with a caption depicting his reaction to Twombly – [...]

Mar

11

Both Marquette Teams Win Their First Round of Oral Argument at the Boston Regional

Posted by: | March 11, 2010 | 2 Comments

I am currently in Boston serving as coach to two teams of Marquette law students who are competing in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition’s Boston Regional Competition.  The teams are Alyssa Dowse, Rachel Helmers, and Nicholas Harken (this month’s student blogger); and Jesica Ballenger, Lindsey Johnson, and Allison Ziegler.  This evening at 5:30 p.m. both [...]

Mar

11

Scott Walker: Break Up MPS

Posted by: | March 11, 2010 | 5 Comments

The Milwaukee Public Schools system should be replaced with ten to twelve smaller school districts, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker said Thursday in an “On the Issues” session at Marquette Law School. Asked by host Mike Gousha, the Law School’s Distinguished Fellow in Law and Public Policy, what he would do about problems facing MPS, Walker said, [...]

Mar

11

Gonna Wait ‘Til the Midnight Hour

Posted by: | March 11, 2010 | 1 Comment

Three slices of this week’s education pie being served around here: Slice one: It’s one thing if Milwaukee School Board members want to go all night talking about the matters in front of them – it might not be a very good way to do business, but it only affects Board members, some MPS administrators, [...]

Mar

10

Filip Expresses Concern About the Return of Sentencing Disparities

Posted by: | March 10, 2010 | 1 Comment

Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Mark R. Filip warned at Tuesday’s Hallows Lecture that disparities in sentencing by federal judges are returning since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled five years ago that sentencing guidelines are only advisory. Filip, who also is a former federal judge and now practices with a Chicago law firm, said that United States [...]

« previous entries — keep looking »