Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Jenkins March Madness

Post author:Nicholas Chmurski
Post published:March 21, 2013
Post category:Marquette Law School Public

While March Madness in the basketball realm kicks into full force this weekend, so to does MULS’s own version of March Madness—the annual Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition.

Beginning this Saturday, preliminary rounds featuring eleven upper-level student teams will be held at Ray and Kay Eckstein Hall. First (10 a.m.), Second (1 p.m.), and Auxiliary (4 p.m.) rounds will be held Saturday, with Third (10 a.m.) and Fourth (1 p.m.) rounds held Sunday. Four of the eleven teams will advance to the semi-finals, held March 27th, and two teams will advance to the finals held April 3rd. All rounds are open to the public.

Some Agreement, Lots of Division in New Law School Poll Results

Post author:Alan J. Borsuk
Post published:March 19, 2013
Post category:Political Processes & Rhetoric Public

“Our old friend, polarization” – that was the phrase Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, used at one point in describing the results of a fresh round of polling released Tuesday. It was the first poll since shortly before the November elections.

This was the first time in 15 rounds of the Law School Poll, starting in early 2012, that there were no “horse race” election questions involved. The questions this time were focused on issues such as regulating some aspects of gun control, education funding and school choice, how to pay for road construction, and residency rules for government employees.

There were some issues where opinion was strongly in favor of one position. For example, background checks for all gun purchasers were strongly supported by both Republicans and Democrats and people living in every part of the state.

But on many issues, Wisconsin remains sharply, and sometimes close to evenly, divided.

Some Thoughts on Violence in Israel and the U.S.

Post author:Ryan Scoville
Post published:March 19, 2013
Post category:Media & Journalism Public

I was part of the group of students and faculty that recently visited Israel. It was truly an amazing trip, and it reshaped my perception of everything from the Syrian civil war, to Biblical history, to the contemporary political dynamics that complicate efforts to secure peace between Israelis and Palestinians, to life in the United States. I do not purport to be an expert on anything pertaining to Israel, and my thoughts on the trip are still a bit scattered, but I thought I would share at least one major impression: Israel felt more secure than I thought it would. Having read about the country’s various security problems for years, I started the trip with some anxiety about traveling in what was for me unprecedented proximity to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria. To borrow the title of an 1980s sitcom, I thought that anti-Western groups would be a little too close for comfort.

But I felt completely secure, and I think everyone else did, too. It appeared that Israel’s citizens manage to live normal lives in basic safety notwithstanding the various security challenges they face. Markets, tours, businesses, restaurants, and schools all operate without any apparent sense of danger. The external threats are serious, but none of them appeared to be terribly consequential on a day-to-day basis for the individuals who live there.