Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Desparate Times and Desperate Measures: Public Employment in San Francisco

Post author:Paul M. Secunda
Post published:February 10, 2010
Post category:Labor & Employment Law

The recession might not be as bad as it was, but tell that to all those people out there who can’t find jobs or are facing this type of government action (in the most progressive of all cities). From Heather Knight of the San Francisco Chronicle:

More than 10,000 San Francisco city workers — from librarians and gardeners to secretaries and street cleaners — would be laid off and most rehired for jobs with shorter hours under a controversial plan being examined by Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The idea, which sprouted in the mayor’s budget office and was described to his department heads Monday, would reduce the workweek for a large swath of the city’s 26,000 full-time employees from 40 hours to 37.5.

“Law Lords” to JFS: You’re Not So Free

Post author:Richard M. Esenberg
Post published:February 7, 2010
Post category:Religion & Law

JFS There has been a fair amount of commentary regarding a decision of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (formerly the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary and part of the House of Lords) in a matter called R (on application of E) v. Governing Board of JFS.

The case involved the desire of a man referred to only as E to have his son, M, admitted to London’s prestigious Jewish Free School. There are many more applicants than spaces in the school and it gives preference to children who are recognized as Jewish either by the rule of matrilineal descent derived from Deuteronmomy 7:3-4 (“… neither shall his daughter take on to thy son/For they shall turn thy son away from following me”) or by an Orthodox conversion (i.e., one recognized by the Office of Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of the Commonwealth).

E is Jewish but M’s mother is a former Roman Catholic whose conversion was supervised by a Reform rabbi, so was not recognized by the OCR.

M was denied admission and E sued, arguing that the preference violated the Racial Relations Act of 1976 which forbids discrimination on the basis of ethnicity. Is that what happened?

I Started Law School . . .

Post author:Ashanti Cook
Post published:February 5, 2010
Post category:Marquette Law School Milwaukee

books Thank you to Professor Slavin for asking me, back in my first month as a wide-eyed 1L, to be on the blog. I thank you for both your confidence in me and this opportunity to attempt to prove you correct.

I started law school at a disadvantage; I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I say this is a disadvantage because I met many people who not only wanted to be a lawyer but had known this about themselves since childhood. Some followed in the steps of a family member and some found their way by other means. That wasn’t me. I don’t want to dwell on myself for very long; I only introduce this to preface my assessment of the legal community in Milwaukee.

As a woman who knew nothing more about being a lawyer than the little that I had seen on television, I was surprised and pleased by what I have found through Marquette. I moved from one of the largest cities in the country with a huge, and quite imposing, legal community to Milwaukee—for reasons other than to go to Marquette University Law School. I allowed myself to be swayed by the sparse contact that I had with Marquette officials to move to a city that I had previously given little thought to, let alone visited.

I’m glad that I did.