It was a GOOD week for …
Law students seeking justice through legislation, after a California proposition that amended the three –strikes law won voter approval. Stanford Law School’s Three Strikes Project worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to draft and promote the legislation, known as Proposition 36. Stanford had founded the Three Strikes project in 2006, and approximately 100 students have represented defendants facing life in prison for minor crimes since then. The legislation was a way to fix the bigger problem.
Law students seeking justice through the courts, after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case brought by Emory Law School students. Cert was granted in Bullock v. BankChampaign N.A., a case brought before the court by the Emory Law School Supreme Court Advocacy Project. The petition asks the court to consider the degree of misconduct that constitutes “defalcation” under the Bankruptcy Code sufficient to prevent a debt from being discharged. Emory’s program is the only student-run Supreme Court litigation program in the nation, and the case will give students a chance to participate fully in the brief-writing process.
It was a BAD Week for …
Class schedules, after Hurricane Sandy forced several law schools in New Jersey and New York to cancel classes for one week. Thirteen schools in New York City opened their libraries to faculty and students at nearby schools who could not travel to their own campus. Touro College opened a pro bono storm help center for Long Island residents.
