News & Updates

IAALS is privileged to benefit from the expertise of a diverse board of advisors that includes judges, practitioners, and others committed to our mission: the continuous improvement of the civil justice system. At the close of 2012, we said farewell to two board members: Justice Patricio Serna and Sue Dosal. And, on January 1, 2013, we welcomed three new board members: Judge Lee Rosenthal, Alan Carlson, and Sheila Slocum Hollis.

In his first news conference, new Republican Governor Pat McCrory rescinded the executive order enacted by his predecessor, Democratic Governor Bev Perdue, creating a judicial nominating commission for filling midterm vacancies on the state’s courts.

Denver Law alumni James “Jim” Mulligan (JD ’74) and Joan Burleson (JD ’85) made a $2.25 million endowment to the University of Denver Sturm College of Law's Mulligan Burleson Chair in Modern Learning, which will ensure experimental learning is integrated throughout the school's curriculum. This gift is augmented by IAALS's Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers advisory committee member, Doug Scrivner (JD ’77) and his wife, Mary.

The National Center for State Courts and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government recently published a paper, "Keeping Courts Funded: Recommendations on How Courts Can Avoid the Budget Axe", which offers a perspective on how state courts can more effectively argue for sufficient funding by approaching the budgetary process proactively, effectively, and humbly.

David Thomson, Lawyering Process Professor and Director of the Lawyering Process Program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, will be the first IAALS Visiting Scholar for the spring semester of 2013. Thomson will be spending parts of his sabbatical here with us, working on several projects. Thomson is a longtime friend of IAALS and we look forward to working more closely with him over the coming months.

iCivics, an organization founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and dedicated to increasing civic knowledge and participation, has created the jury service game, We the Jury. In this game, students play the role of jury members who must deliberate to reach a fair and impartial verdict.

In most states that elect their judges, vacancies that arise between elections are filled by gubernatorial appointment. Some governors opt to use an advisory panel in making these appointments, while others have opted not to seek the assistance of such committees.

As the quality of judges and integrity of the judiciary continue to receive heightened attention, education and outreach has increasingly become the focus for the courts. Slowly joining the social media bandwagon, judicial performance evaluation (JPE) sites have been cropping up. What is emerging in the world of retention elections and JPE results?

When state courts are strained or crippled by budget cuts—and it’s all too familiar a scenario around the country—how can we make the strongest case possible for adequate funding? At the National Center for State Courts and at Justice at Stake, we’ve compiled "Funding Justice: Strategies and Messages for Restoring Court Funding." It offers a comprehensive blueprint for legal groups and civic leaders to champion effectively the needs of America’s courts.

It's hard to believe it's been less than three months since we officially launched IAALS Online. We hope you've been enjoying it as much as we have. We'll be taking a short break for the holidays—IAALS and the University of Denver are closed from December 25 through January 1—but we look forward to logging on January 2.

Advanced Advocacy: Legislative Policy, the latest Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers course portfolio, incorporates theory and practice of the legislative processes, advocacy in the legislative context, and judicial interpretation of statutory law. This is an upper level simulation course with an emphasis on research, drafting, and presentation for a genuine legislative immersion experience.

How would you feel if you owned a business with your spouse and you decided to divorce? A recent article from The New York Times provides a refreshing example of how one couple was able to maintain their business relationship while going through the divorce process.

Approximately one year ago, on November 1, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York implemented a Pilot Project Regarding Case Management Techniques for Complex Civil Cases. The Board of Judges has now extended the pilot project for an additional eighteen months, to expire September 30, 2014.

Conservative lawmakers are expected to pursue a change in the process for selecting Kansas’ appellate judges in 2013. Critics of the current process believe that lawyers have too much control, with five of the nine members of the judicial nominating commission elected by the state bar association.

The Sedona Conference® has updated its Resources for the Judiciary, a reference manual for judges that is “intended to assemble and promote a variety of proven judicial management tools to help parties develop and execute appropriate, cost-effective, cooperative discovery plans; avoid unnecessary discovery disputes; and resolve discovery disputes that may arise in a fair and expeditious manner.”

After an unsuccessful attempt in 1992 to cover the topic of divorce, Sesame Street has debuted a 13-minute, online segment entitled, "Little Children, Big Challenges: Divorce," that shows a pink fairy, known as Abby Cadabby, discussing her parents' divorce. The segment hopes to fill the void and act as a resource for parents of preschool-aged children who need a tool to help their children handle the transitions that come with divorce.

In mid-November, President Obama nominated Raymond P. Moore, a federal public defender, for a vacancy on the United States District Court of Colorado, which will open with the new year. Despite the fact that the process by which Moore was nominated mirrors versions used by twenty-one other states, there is concern that he may face a lengthy confirmation period, which has become a trend during Obama’s presidency.

Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk each authorize a nonpartisan screening committee to evaluate applicants for district court vacancies and make recommendations as to the best qualified. With four open seats in Illinois and only one nomination pending, Senator Kirk recently reactivated his 14-person committee.

According to results of a recent Vanderbilt University poll, 44 percent of Tennessee voters want to elect supreme court justices, while 28 percent believe the governor should continue to appoint them. The legislature is expected to pursue changes to the process for selecting judges in 2013.

Meaningful access to justice is the most important issue confronting state courts across this country. There can be little doubt that we now have a state justice system in America that is slowly eroding while at the same time becoming increasingly too expensive for the vast majority of our fellow citizens. These developments, left unchecked, will have real consequences that will go to the very core of the American promise. They should concern us all.