Section: Features
64 results


Features Fall 2023
The President’s Ambassadors Abroad
Hundreds of Michigan Law alumni represent the interests of the United States and its citizens in
various levels of the government around the world. A handful, however, have risen to the highest level by being appointed as ambassadors, including Donald Blome, ’90; W. Robert Kohorst, ’78; and Kenneth Salazar, ’83.


Features Fall 2023
Emily Boening, ’12: Voice from the Civil Service
“I have worked on some extremely challenging issues—Afghanistan, Syria, terrorism, Russia…. It probably won’t be me who solves the world’s problems, but whoever succeeds will be someone unafraid to fail.”


Features Fall 2023
Seth Oppenheim, ’04: Voice from the Foreign Service
“It’s been a fascinating time to be posted to Brussels. Commercial and trade issues intersect so many of the topics important to the relationship between the United States and the European Union: climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China, and artificial intelligence—to name a few.”


Features Fall 2023
Priyadarshi “Pri” Sen, ’93: Voice from the Foreign Service
“Those of us who serve overseas in the United States Foreign Service represent our country 24/7. In a small place like Suriname, everyone knows who we are. What we say and how we behave outside of work—and even what we buy at the local grocery store—is seen as representative of the United States.”


Features Fall 2023
Bates Fellowship: Forty Years of Life-changing Experiences Abroad
In the 40 years since it was established, the Clara Belfield and Henry Bates Overseas Fellowship has supported nearly 400 Michigan Law students and alumni in their international pursuits, including internship positions at international institutions, independent research, and teaching.


Features
Behind the Bench at the Supreme Court
For 20 years, Jeffrey Minear’s dealings at the Supreme Court followed a familiar pattern. As a litigator in the Office of the Solicitor General, he would prepare a brief, present argument, and await the ruling—a process he repeated more than 50 times. That all changed in 2006, when a new mandate became his daily task at the Court: perform such duties as may be assigned by the chief justice.


Features
Jeff Titus Celebrates Life (on the) Outside
Titus, a Michigan Innocence Clinic client, was exonerated and released from prison in February. He was convicted in 2002 of killing two deer hunters in a state game area in the southeast corner of Kalamazoo County, Michigan.


Features Spring/Summer 2023
The Business of College Sports
Name, image, likeness (NIL)—three words that have created enormous changes for student-athletes and collegiate sports. We spoke with two Michigan Law alumni—one historically in favor and one against compensation for athletes—who have engaged on this topic over the past several years in friendly debate with each other.


Features Spring/Summer 2023
Slavery’s Legacy in Architecture and Law
Slavery and the Built Environment, a Problem Solving Initiative class taught by Luis C.deBaca, ’93, examined the historical narrative of monuments in the US, including those with racist legacies. Students in the fall 2022 semester examined the history of Sylvester Manor to better understand how land use and regulation of supply chains have been shaped by slavery and its legacies.


Features Fall 2022
A Legacy of Bigoted Deeds in Ann Arbor
The Hannah neighborhood near downtown Ann Arbor is relatively small, and its lawn signs reflect the progressive politics of residents. But that welcoming impression took a hit when neighbors started to learn last year that the deeds to their homes contain racist covenants once used for decades to exclude non-whites. The common reaction? Shock.