Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Congratulations to the 2019 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Finalists

By: Lisa A. MazzieApril 12, 2019Legal Education, Legal Practice, Lubar Center, Marquette Law School, Public1 Comment

Picture of courtroom with judges on the bench and student advocates seated at tables Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition, Brooke Erickson and Micaela Haggenjos. Congratulations also go to finalists Luis Gutierrez and Nicholas Wanic. Erickson and Haggenjos additionally won the Franz C. Eschweiler Prize for Best Brief, and Erickson won the Ramon A. Klitzke Prize for Best Oralist.

The competitors argued before a packed house in the Lubar Center. Presiding over the final round were Hon. Charles R. Wilson (11th Circuit Court of Appeals), Hon. Daniel Kelly (Wisconsin Supreme Court), and Hon. Lisa K. Stark (Wisconsin Court of Appeals).

Many thanks to the judges and competitors for their hard work, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship in all the rounds of competition. Thank you, too, to the Law School administration and staff for their work in putting on the event. Special thanks to Dean Kearney for his support of the competition.

Thank you as well to the Moot Court Association for its work in putting this event together, and especially to 3L Sadie Olson, who so adeptly handled the details of the competition.

Students are selected to participate in the competition based on their success in the fall Appellate Writing and Advocacy class at the Law School.

Here is a link to the video of the final round.

Israel Reflections—Golan Heights, the Galilee and the Druze

By: Andrea K. SchneiderApril 12, 2019April 12, 2019Marquette Law School, Public, Religion & LawLeave a comment»

The group had a memorable night at the kibbutz and were very sad to leave the cozy cottages we were able to stay in. Our busy day (Tuesday) of sight-seeing started with a visit to Mount Bental. At the peak of Mt. Bental we had views of Golan and Syria. Taylor Brisco and her friends went into the army bunker to imagine what it was like to be a solider during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Ms. Brisco said “Visiting Mount Bental was one of my favorite activities due to the historical significance of the mountain peak and also for the amazing view of Golan—and even Syria.” Below is a view from the bunker over to Mt. Hermon where this is still snow…

Continue reading “Israel Reflections—Golan Heights, the Galilee and the Druze”

Franklin Says Poll Results Show Shift Toward Republican Identification

By: Alan J. BorsukApril 10, 2019Marquette Law School Poll, PublicLeave a comment»

There’s something happening here, and what it is is becoming clearer: A shift in the overall partisan make-up of Wisconsin’s voting population toward Republicans.

It’s not a huge shift – a couple percentage point increase in the number of people who identify as Republicans or as leaning Republican, a similar decrease in the number who identify as Democrats or as leaning Democratic. The result is a near tie in partisanship, compared to several years ago when the Democrats held a slight advantage. But it is enough of a change to suggest that the polarized political make-up of Wisconsin is becoming more polarized, and the state’s propensity to have elections with very close outcomes may be getting stronger. Continue reading “Franklin Says Poll Results Show Shift Toward Republican Identification”

Israel Reflections 2019 – Supreme Court and Eco Peace

By: Andrea K. SchneiderApril 10, 2019April 10, 2019Environmental Law, International Law & Diplomacy, Judges & Judicial Process, Public, Water LawLeave a comment»

As we said our goodbyes to Yad Vashem, we headed towards the beautiful Israeli Supreme A picture of the Israeli Supreme Court Court to hear from former Chief Justice Asher Dan Grunis. Justice Grunis spoke to the students about the differences between the U.S. Supreme Court and the Israeli Supreme Court. The comparison in the annual caseload (about 70 cases in the U.S. versus 15,000 cases in Israel!) really stood out for the students. The court have 15 justices that generally sit in panels of three to hear the cases.

After driving up north, we ended the day with a speech from Adam Waddell from Eco-Peace. Eco peace is an NGO that works to facilitate peace talks and promote sustainable development between the Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli governments. Aurusa Kabani shared her thoughts about this NGO.

Continue reading “Israel Reflections 2019 – Supreme Court and Eco Peace”

Chief Justice Roberts: Biskupic Describes Her Insightful Look at a Reserved Figure

By: Alan J. BorsukApril 9, 2019April 11, 2019Federal Law & Legal System, Public, Speakers at Marquette, U.S. Supreme CourtLeave a comment»

Joan Biskupic says her fourth book about a member of the United States Supreme Court involved “my most difficult subject” – Chief Justice John Roberts. But, perhaps in good part for that reason, it is also attracting much attention.

Roberts is “a very reserved individual,” Biskupic said during an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” program in the Lubar Center at Marquette Law School on Tuesday. “There’s a lot that you see, but much more that’s held back.” She had the benefit of eight interviews, covering more than twenty hours, with Roberts, but she said she wonders still about what is not known about him.

However, Biskupic’s newly-published biography, The Chief: The Life and Turbulent Times of Chief Justice John Roberts, does offer a lot, some of it not reported previously, about Roberts, who has been chief justice since 2005.

And in addition to a richly detailed description of Roberts’ life, the book breaks new ground in describing how Roberts came to be the decisive vote in upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, often known as Obamacare, in 2012. Biskupic describes how he initially took positions opposing the constitutionality of the law during the court’s work on the case, then switched his views.

“I think he definitely did not want the whole law to go down,” she said. “I’m fine with saying I don’t know why, for sure.”

Continue reading “Chief Justice Roberts: Biskupic Describes Her Insightful Look at a Reserved Figure”

Israel Reflections 2019 – Yad Vashem

By: Andrea K. SchneiderApril 9, 2019Human Rights, International Law & Diplomacy, Judges & Judicial Process, Public, Religion & LawLeave a comment»

The day after our interesting trip to Palestine we visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s holocaust memorial. Many of the students on the trip had learned about the Holocaust in school and visited the Holocaust museum in D.C., but nothing could really prepare them for this experience. In advance, I had each student research someone on the Avenue of the Righteous to understand choices made during World War II. Jordan Janikowski thought:

One beautiful memorial that served as a beacon of hope was the Avenue of the Righteous, a garden of trees dedicated to individuals and families who risked their lives in order to help save others during the holocaust. This serves as a reminder that we all need to take responsibility in standing up for others although it is still incomprehensible how such an inhumane tragedy could have occurred, there are many parallels to today’s society. It is important that we continue to educate ourselves about the past to ensure that these kinds of atrocities never happen again.

One of the many breathtaking moments in the museum at the end in the Hall of Names. Kelly Krause noted:

As you stand on a platform, pictures of 600 Jewish victims are above you and below the platform is a well. Around you there are binders that contain approximately 2.2 million pages of testimony about the more than 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Sadly the room is not full, recognizing that some of the names of those who perished have not been discovered..In this room I felt the impact and scale of the Holocaust far more than any museum, film, or book has made me feel before. Exiting this room, you once again walk into light, but this time it’s the light from the view of the State of Israel. This view of the Jewish state looks different than the one when you entered the museum, in more ways than one.

Before we left Yad Vashem we heard from Professor Amos Hausner, son of Gideon Hausner, the lawyer who prosecuted Adolf Eichmann. Professor Hausner spoke to the students about the trial, and international criminal justice reform. Steve Deguire reflected on one particular remark:

His father felt the prosecution and execution of Eichmann had not been successful because he saw no indications of a deterrence effect from the trial in preventing genocides…This statement remains true to this day with modern day genocides, (i.e. Myanmar, South Sudan, and Central Africa); the handful of prosecutions to actually occur will not be sufficient to deter genocide. The example provided by the Eichmann trial will remain a standard for the international criminal justice system when dealing with genocide.

Cross-posted at Indisputably.org

Israel Reflections 2019–A Visit to Palestine

By: Andrea K. SchneiderApril 7, 2019April 7, 2019International Law & Diplomacy, Marquette Law School, Mediation, Negotiation, PublicLeave a comment»

On Sunday afternoon, we headed to the West Bank aka Palestine, and again had an amazing new experience for me. It was also pretty impactful for the students as you will read below. We had with us for the entire afternoon, the very talented Riman Barakat, a Fulbright scholar who completed her studies at Marquette and perennial speaker to our group. As a native of East Jerusalem, Riman also serves as a Director for East Jerusalem and Palestinian Relations for Jerusalem Season of Culture. Continue reading “Israel Reflections 2019–A Visit to Palestine”

The Marquette Law Review is Quoted by CNN News

By: Lisa A. MazzieApril 7, 2019April 7, 2019Immigration Law, Marquette Law School, PublicLeave a comment»

Marquette Law Review Cover A quote from and a link to a student-written comment in the Marquette Law Review made it into a CNN story this week.

CNN reported that on Friday President Trump criticized the Flores Settlement. According to CNN, he said, “We’ve had some very bad court decisions. The Flores decision is a disaster, I have to tell you. Judge Flores, whoever you may be, that decision is a disaster for our country. A disaster.”

The Flores Settlement, a settlement agreement from Reno v. Flores that limits the amount of time that immigrant children can be detained and governs the conditions under which those children can be detained, is actually named after the plaintiff in that case, Jenny Lisette Flores. Flores had fled El Salvador as a teenager.

CNN then briefly explained the Flores case, quoting from the comment, Codifying the Flores Settlement Agreement: Seeking to Protect Immigrant Children in U.S. Custody:

[Flores] fled her country in 1985 and tried to enter the United States to be with her aunt. The former government agency Immigration and Naturalization Service arrested her at the border, and she was placed in a juvenile detention center, where she was handcuffed and strip-searched, according to the Marquette Law Review. The INS refused to grant her aunt custody of Jenny because it wouldn’t release minors to “third-party adults,” the law review article said.

The link brought readers to the 2012 comment authored by Rebeca M. López (L’12), who was then a student at Marquette University Law School. Lopez is now an associate attorney at Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., in Milwaukee.

*Hat tip to Tyler Wickman (L’08) for noticing the CNN story. Tyler will be our May Alumni Blogger of the Month.

Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competitors Advance to Finals

By: Lisa A. MazzieApril 7, 2019Legal Education, Marquette Law School, Public1 Comment

Congratulations to the students in the Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition who have moved on to the final round of the competition, to be held Thursday, April 11, at 5:15 p.m.

The following teams will be competing in the semifinals:

Nicholas Wanic and Luis Gutierrez

Brooke Erickson and Micaela Haggenjos

The final round will be judged by The Honorable Charles Wilson (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit), The Honorable Daniel Kelly (Wisconsin Supreme Court), and The Honorable Lisa Stark (Wisconsin Court of Appeals).

The Jenkins Completion is named in honor of the late James G. Jenkins, the first Wisconsin judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (1893-1905) and the first dean of Marquette Law School (1908-1915).

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register with this on-line registration link.

Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competitors Advance to Semifinals

By: Lisa A. MazzieApril 6, 2019Legal Education, Legal Writing, Marquette Law School, Public1 Comment

Congratulations to the students in the Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition who have moved on to the semifinal round of the competition. The students will be competing tomorrow, Sunday, April 7 at 10 a.m. to determine which two teams will be advancing to the final round on Thursday, April 11, at 5:15 p.m.

The following teams will be competing in the semifinals:

Nicholas Wanic and Luis Gutierrez

Julie Leary and Elizabeth Elving

Brooke Erickson and Micaela Haggenjos

Cole Dunn and Peter Klepacz

The final round of the Jenkins competition will take place on Thursday, April 11, at 5:15 p.m. in the Lubar Center. The final round will be judged by The Honorable Charles Wilson (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit), The Honorable Daniel Kelly (Wisconsin Supreme Court), and The Honorable Lisa Stark (Wisconsin Court of Appeals).

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register with this on-line registration link.

Congratulations to all the participants in the competition. Thank you also to all the alumni and other attorneys and judges who volunteered to grade briefs and serve as judges in the four preliminary rounds and in the quarterfinal rounds. We appreciate their time and assistance every year.

Remembering Professor Ray Klitzke

By: Edward A. FalloneApril 4, 2019Marquette Law School, Marquette Law School History, PublicLeave a comment»

The Marquette Law School community was saddened to learn of the death March 29 of Emeritus Professor of Law Ramon (“Ray”) Klitzke. He was 90 years old.

Named by his mother after silent screen star Ramon Novarro, Ray had ramrod straight posture and an athletic build. He was a competitive swimmer and diver throughout his life. He cut a dashing figure in the hallways of Sensenbrenner Hall, not unlike his namesake.

Ray was a devoted teacher and scholar. Ray also served the Wisconsin State Bar in a variety of capacities during his career, serving at various times as Reporter for the Local Government Section, Reporter for the Administrative Law Section and Chairman of the Patent, Trademark & Copyright Section. During Ray’s tenure as a full time faculty member, I doubt that there was a single Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin State Bar that did not include Ray on the agenda in some form, usually as a presenter providing an update on recent legal developments in his field.

Ray retired from the Marquette Law School faculty in 1994.

I valued ray as a friend, as a colleague, and as a valuable contributor to the Wisconsin legal community. He leaves his wife Doris, his children Ramon, Albert and Ann and their spouses, and an extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Services will be held tomorrow April 5 at Saint John’s Lutheran Church in Brookfield. More information about Ray’s life, the visitation and services is available here.

Israel Reflections 2019–Holy Sites in the Old City

By: Andrea K. SchneiderApril 4, 2019International Law & Diplomacy, Legal Education, Marquette Law School, Public, Religion & LawLeave a comment»

On our second full day in Israel, we visited the Old City to gain perspective at how the crossroads of religion all seem to meet here. And, for the first time, we could actually ascend to the top of the Temple Mount to see the Dome of the Rock up close. (I had not been able to do this since 1992!)

Haley Stepanek was in awe of how “Billions of people revere this site as one of the holiest on earth: for Muslims, Temple Mount contains the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque; for Jews, it is the site where Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac to God,” and the site of the first and second Temples. In fact, our visit to the Temple Mount happened just days before it was again temporarily closed when news broke that a Molotov cocktail was thrown on the grounds of Temple Mount. This event, and many events that happened around us while we were on this trip, gave everyone a sense of how present the conflict is. Continue reading “Israel Reflections 2019–Holy Sites in the Old City”