{"id":31387,"date":"2025-11-06T10:05:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T16:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=31387"},"modified":"2025-11-06T10:06:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T16:06:40","slug":"lessons-in-the-law-and-civic-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2025\/11\/lessons-in-the-law-and-civic-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons in the Law and Civic Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fall<\/a>What should be the goal of a law school? Obviously, educating students to be excellent lawyers is at the core. But the life of a law school goes far beyond the walls of a building and what happens in classrooms.<\/p>\n

The Fall 2025 issue of the Marquette Lawyer<\/em>\u00a0magazine gives insights into how far the reach of a law school can and should extend. From the dignified proceedings of appellate courts to the sometimes-contentious atmosphere of school board meetings, from the harsh insides of prisons to the world of water policy, from kindergarten through twelfth-grade classrooms to enjoyable vacations\u2014they\u2019re all part of this issue. And there\u2019s plenty more about life inside Marquette Law School and legal education.<\/p>\n

The cover story of the magazine, headlined \u201cCourts or Community Conversations?,\u201d sets the theme. In his E. Harold Hallows Lecture at Marquette Law School on March 3, 2025, the Hon. Michael Y. Scudder, a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, discussed some of the constitutional limits on bringing issues before federal courts. He expanded on this by suggesting that constitutional limits on jurisdiction protect First Amendment interests and the value of democratic self-government, ensuring that state institutions such as city councils and school boards remain at the center of debate and decision.<\/p>\n

The magazine offers a text of Scudder\u2019s lecture<\/a> and amplifies on his theme with two companion pieces: Professor Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, provides insights from recent Marquette Law School Poll results on the involvement of people across the nation in civic life<\/a>, including participation in government, religious, and community organizations. And, in an edited transcript of their conversations in person and by email, Scudder and Franklin reflect on broad issues of involvement in civic life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A second lecture at the Law School takes readers to a much different realm: the inside of correctional institutions. Sharon Dolovich, a law professor at UCLA and director of the UCLA Prison Law and Policy Program, described in her Barrock Lecture on Criminal Law on May 13, 2025, the difficult, often harsh, lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who work as corrections officers inside the country\u2019s carceral institutions. While the conditions faced by prisoners receive considerable attention, the working conditions of correction officers are rarely described\u2014and, in large numbers, these individuals, too, are harmed by what they encounter, Dolovich argues. \u201cNo Walking Away,\u201d her vivid description of the lives of \u201cCOs,\u201d may be read by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cRipple Effect\u201d presents an article about the growth of Marquette Law School\u2019s Water Law and Policy Initiative since its establishment a decade ago. Led by Professor David Strifling, the initiative includes classes on water law; research initiatives that have given law students and other Marquette students valuable experience in practical aspects of water policy; collaborative efforts with other parts of the university and other institutions, drawing significant funding to support research; and conferences on major water policy issues. The article may be read by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An essay in the Fall 2024 Marquette Lawyer<\/em><\/a> described the failures of many major efforts to improve the outcomes for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students nationwide. It was accompanied by responses from six education experts. One of them, Robert Pondiscio of the American Enterprise Institute, suggested that the focus of education reform should be on improving teaching practice in classrooms. That led to a conference at the Law School, on May 8, 2025, addressing what might be done to make teachers more successful, including increased use of high-quality curriculum materials. And that<\/em> led to a new article, \u201cWhat If K\u201312 Reform Efforts Focused on Making Teaching Jobs More Doable?\u201d The article is accompanied by a piece describing the \u201cLet Teachers Teach\u201d initiative in Louisiana and another with ideas from William Henk, emeritus dean of Marquette\u2019s College of Education, on how principals can help teachers be more successful. The articles may be read by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Four pieces in the magazine appeared initially in the Faculty Blog<\/a> of the Law School\u2019s website. They are:<\/p>\n