After every major disaster, many homeowners are shocked to learn that their homeowners insurance fails to pay for their losses. The same is true in everyday events; a plumbing leak that causes thousands of dollars of damage may not be covered under homeowners insurance.
Rutgers Law is pleased to announce that Gwynne A. Wilcox, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member and Rutgers Law alumna, will deliver the Commencement address in Newark. She is the first Black woman to serve as a Board member in the history of the Agency. Sundeep Iyer, Director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, will deliver the Commencement address in Camden.
Rutgers Law second-year students Sean Muirhead and Matthew Raber won first place in the 2023 Nathan Baker Trial Competition last night. Sean and Matthew faced off against third-year student Erin Hamilton and second-year student Anika Nelson in the competition's final round before the Honorable Zahid Quraishi, United States District Judge (RLAW ’00). The two teams presented a full trial of a criminal murder case, with Hamilton and Nelson representing the State and Muirhead and Raber representing the defense.
Rutgers International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) Supervising Attorney Yael Bromberg, Esq., and Clinic students filed a motion and accompanying amicus brief arguing that the Texas vote-by-mail law is discriminatory. It includes data on the impact on young voters overall and the increased stratification among minority youth voters who are ineligible to vote by mail due to their age. While numerous parties served as amici during previous phases of the litigation amid the 2020 Presidential Election, the amicus brief serves as the only amici voice during the present phase of litigation. The brief was filed with the support of local counsel Jared G. LeBlanc, of LeBlanc Flanery PLLC.
The Rutgers Law National Trial Team had a strong finish to the 2022-2023 season, winning the championship title in the Queens District Attorney Competition this past weekend. By taking the title, it bested some of the highest ranked trial teams in the country.
June 22, 2023 Update: Even though the Supreme Court did not find the statute to be unconstitutionally overbroad, as the International Human Rights Clinic's brief argued, the majority opinion interpreted the statute in a way that did away with the constitutional deficiencies. Just as the Clinic argued, journalists cannot be arrested merely for reporting on immigration issues. The dissenting opinion, written by Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, criticized the majority for not finding the statute unconstitutional on its face, as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had done. In her dissenting opinion, Justice Jackson referenced the Clinic's brief, and the arguments made by the Clinic and other amici.
Rutgers Law Associate Professor Thea Johnson authored a new collaborative report that indicates that plea bargaining, as currently practiced, is often unjust, unfair and lacks transparency. This is particularly concerning given that plea bargaining has become the primary way to resolve criminal cases in the United States, with nearly 98% of convictions nationwide currently coming from guilty pleas.
In honor of Valentine's Day, we are sharing the love stories of two Rutgers Law Camden alumni couples and a couple who are in their first year of law school together at Rutgers Law in Newark. Law school provided the spark that brought two couples together while it's part of the glue holding a pair of 1Ls together to make it to their law degrees. These couples demonstrate how love can thrive during and after law school.
The 2022 Frankel Fiduciary Prize has been awarded to Rutgers Law Professor Arthur Laby. He was honored during an Institute for the Fiduciary Standard virtual program on September 22.
Over his nearly 25 years of service to Rutgers Law School, Associate Dean for Clinical Education Jon C. Dubin has amassed an impressive number of elite titles. He is a Rutgers University Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Law, Paul Robeson Scholar, and Director of the Economic Justice & Public Benefits Clinic. For the 20 years, he served as Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Director of Clinical Programs.
Several decisions and upcoming hearings in the past year by the U.S. Supreme Court, and lower-level courts, are having far-reaching consequences not just for the American public now but for the future of American law. We asked Rutgers Law professors in Camden and Newark for their outlook on the most pressing legal issues in 2023.
Rutgers Law School has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to advocating for social justice, whether it’s through pro bono work, clinics, its Minority Student Program, or student activism. So when the American Bar Association (ABA) updated its law school accreditation standards in 2022 to include a mandate that schools demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by “concrete actions,” Rutgers Law was more than prepared—partly because of its rich history, but also because of thoughtful steps taken in recent years to advance its commitment to antiracism and social justice.