Winter 2020

Beauty images of the Arches

Briefs

News in Brief: Winter 2020

Catharine A. MacKinnon

Woman of Vision

Renowned legal scholar and Michigan Law Professor Catharine A. MacKinnon—who has been called “one of the most significant figures in feminism” by the National Organization for Women (NOW)—received the organization’s Woman of Vision Award for her work in advancing women’s rights.

 

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, ’05

Constitutional Authority

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, ’05, who represents Michigan’s third district, presented U-M’s annual Constitution Day address. Amash, who was a member of the Republican party and is now an independent, said the Constitution is “a subject dear to my heart.” In attendance were Amash’s brothers—John, ’01, and Jeff, ’07.

 

Dean Mark West (center) and May Liang, ’89 (left), who moved for their admission to the Court, are pictured with inductees Richard L. Kay, ’61; Andrew Kay, ’97; Barbara Jane Irwin, ’80; Sophia Hudson, ’06; Maren R. Norton, ’04; and Broderick Johnson, ’83.

Supreme Court Bar

Six Michigan Law alumni became members of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court in October. Dean Mark West (center) and May Liang, ’89 (left), who moved for their admission to the Court, are pictured with inductees Richard L. Kay, ’61; Andrew Kay, ’97; Barbara Jane Irwin, ’80; Sophia Hudson, ’06; Maren R. Norton, ’04; and Broderick Johnson, ’83.

 

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman [R-OH], ’84—in town for his 35th class reunion—took time to co-teach Professor Julian Davis Mortenson’s Legislation and Regulation class.

Senate Sit-Down

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman [R-OH], ’84—in town for his 35th class reunion—took time to co-teach Professor Julian Davis Mortenson’s Legislation and Regulation class.

 

Fiske Fellows

Fiske Fellows

Four Michigan Law alumni are the recipients of 2019 Fiske Fellowships, which are awarded to recent graduates who have accepted positions in government. Pictured with Dean Mark West and Bob Fiske, ’55, HLLD ’97, who created the Fiske Fellowship Program, are Ashlyn Angell, ’19, U.S. Navy JAG Corps; Sarah Precup, ’17, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona; Christopher VanDeusen, ’17, Department of Justice Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch; and Sarah Grunberger, ‘19, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

 

Letter

Sage Advice

A letter found in a drawer in a Lawyers Club student room last summer offers words of wisdom to an incoming 1L—from a rising 2L who “loves this place.”

 

NYTcrossword

Lucky 13

Seth Abel, ’92, constructs crossword puzzles in his spare time, including this one (his 13th) that was spotted in The New York Times. His crosswords also have appeared in The Washington Post and Simon and Schuster’s crossword puzzle books.

 

Strict Scrutiny

A new podcast about the U.S. Supreme Court created and co-hosted by Assistant Professor
Leah Litman, ’10

 

“We find nothing to suggest that granting someone a set-aside puts the public at risk, as skeptics have sometimes suggested. Those who receive set-asides are less likely to commit a new crime than the general adult population of Michigan. The rate of serious or violent re-offending is almost zero.”

Professors J.J. Prescott and Sonja Starr, in a Detroit News op-ed about proposed Michigan legislation that would offer certain offenders a chance to set aside their criminal records through expungement. They recently conducted a major study of the effects

 

Nicholson Price

“[T]he challenge is that current law incentivizes physicians to minimize the potential value of AI.”

Professor Nicholson Price, in the co-authored article, “Potential Liability for Physicians Using Artificial Intelligence,” which appeared in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

""

Samuel Bagenstos, the Frank G. Millard Professor of Law, was appointed to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. MERC resolves labor disputes involving public- and private-sector employees by appointing mediators, arbitrators, and fact finders; conducting union representation elections; determining appropriate bargaining units; and adjudicating unfair labor practice cases.

300+

Alumni and students who participated in Michigan Law’s 2019 summer mentoring program, primarily in New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

6,876

Hours logged during the 2018–2019 academic year by students in Michigan Law’s Pro Bono Program

—Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, during an Environmental Law and Policy Program (ELPP) talk in which he advocated for more innovation to bring about a green economy. The ELPP Lecture Series also included the talk, “Climate Change Politics in Congress:Is a Bi-Partisan Agreement Possible?,” with U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, ’90.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, during an Environmental Law and Policy Program (ELPP) talk in which he advocated for more innovation to bring about a green economy. The ELPP Lecture Series also included the talk, “Climate Change Politics in Cong

More From This Issue

Kevin Scott and family

Winter 2020 Cover Story

Kevin Scott, ’83: Franchise Owner

It was a busy Friday night, and Kevin Scott, ’83, was learning how to work the fryers. It was his first day in the kitchen of a Culver’s fast-food restaurant, and Scott—unaccustomed to the cacophony of buzzers going off—was doing his best to keep up with the orders.
Beauty image of the dining hall

Winter 2020 In Practice

Asim Rehman, ’01: Overseeing the Nation’s Largest Police Department

How does one go from working as corporate counsel at MetLife—providing global litigation support to more than 40 foreign MetLife companies—to overseeing the NYPD? “I was working on police accountability issues because they were important to me,” Asim Rehman, ’01, says. “Not because I was looking for a job.” 
Beauty image of the Law School Reading Room from the side study hall

Winter 2020 In Practice

Meegan Brooks, ’13: An Advocate for the Retail Industry

Throughout law school, Meegan Brooks, ’13, was most interested in cases involving retail brands and other companies that she admired. Brooks joined Sedgwick LLP as a 2L summer associate and became enamored with its retail practice group, which specialized in defending consumer class actions. “I identified their work as being fun and cool and interesting,” she says.

Related Reading

Justin Amash, ’05

Fall 2022 Features

Justin Amash, ’05: An Independent Voice in a Partisan Time

The driving force behind the political views of Justin Amash, ’05, is his strict adherence to the Constitution. The former member of the US House of Representatives says that fervor was born at Michigan Law. 
Painting of a couple walking through a garden

Winter 2022 Impact

Bob Fiske, ’55, Inspires Gift to Eponymous Government Fellowship

Inspired by the example of Robert Fiske, ’55, a group of donors has made a $90,000 contribution to the Fiske Fellowship Program at Michigan Law, which encourages young lawyers to enter government service by providing recipients with cash stipends and loan repayment assistance. 
Supreme Court

Fall 2014 Briefs

Trio of Michigan Law Grads Obtain Prestigious U.S. Supreme Court Clerkships

Realizing something of a high court hat trick with their consecutive clerkships, three Michigan Law graduates soon will share the distinction of having served three of the foremost members of the nation’s judiciary: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.