News & Updates

With the launch of Rebuilding Justice, which hit the shelves this week, Rebecca Love Kourlis wrote a guest post for Justice at Stake's Gavel Grab.

October 3 marks the first day of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2011-12 term, which is expected to steal some news headlines. But as we prepare for an eventful term in constitutional law, Rebecca Love Kourlis and Dirk Olin remind readers that the civil courts around the country that handle more than 30 million cases every year, including divorces, foreclosures, personal injury cases, and business disputes, that will never see the Supreme Court. And these courts are in trouble.

State courts, which carry millions of cases per year across the country, are increasingly being targeted by state legislatures looking to make cuts. Click here to read the article.

In a segment on experiential legal education, the National Jurist featured the work of Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers and one of its consortium schools, Washington and Lee University.

Through its foundation, Kirkland & Ellis is donating $2.75 million to Stanford Law School to support expanded clinic programs, new student awards and a series of discussions about the legal profession.

Jordan Furlong, who wrote last week about what he called " the decline and fall of law school," came back to the topic of legal education. This time he focused on new lawyer training and looked at, among other ideas, the "teaching law firm." Click…

Law schools saw a decrease in applications this year and some believe prospective students are becoming more skeptical about the value of a law degree. Click here to read the article.

The authors suggest that, though the Supreme Court of the United States has in recent years struck down campaign finance laws, it may be willing to tolerate limits on spending in judicial elections. Click here to read the article.

In a move prompting widespread criticism, the American Bar Association's 2010 law school questionnaire will not require schools to report the percentage of graduates in part-time jobs or in jobs that do not require a license. Click here to read the…

This article recognizes that there is no shortage of debate about the best way to seat judges. Some states, like Tennessee, are considering moving from a judicial appointment system to an election system, while others, like Pennsylvania, are attempting to move their system in the other direction.

Doug Buttrey, executive director of Tennesseans for Economic Growth, lauded Tennessee for enacting civil justice reform but cautioned that its plan to make Tennessee the number one state in job creation and retention can't stop there. He urged Tennessee, which uses commission-based gubernatorial appointment for its Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals, to keep its current system.

Jordan Furlong, who writes often on the future of the legal profession, has turned his pen on law schools. In the article, he laments the current state of legal education, but cites a number of initiatives undertaken by legal educators to address this, including Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers.

This week, Justice at Stake's Gavel Grab featured a guest post by Malia Reddick and Russell Wheeler on the recently released second edition of "Options for Federal Judicial Screening Committees."

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has named eight judges as new committee chairs and extended the service of three existing chairs for the Judicial Conference of the United States. The committees make policy recommendations to the Conference. Click…

The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law received a $1 million gift from the Moser Family Philanthropic Fund "to establish the Moser Ethics in Action Endowment, which will fund projects and courses centered on ethics, pro bono and professionalism.

Missouri Bar President John S. Johnston countered a recent Wall Street Journal editorial attack on its merit-based judicial selection system: "Although I usually find your opinion pieces very good, I read with sadness your editorial 'Missouri Compromised.' Your editorial position on the issue of merit selection of judges, often called The Missouri Plan, is simply wrong."

The Supreme Court of Wisconsin declined to open its deliberations to the public. The proposal was made by Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who hoped it might restore civility to the process. The Court also tabled a proposal to bring in a workplace consultant to work with the justices on collegiality.

In the wake of allegations that a Pennsylvania state senator improperly helped her sister get elected to the state's high court, the Inquirer calls for merit-based appointment of appellate judges.

Newly elected president of the American Judges Association (AJA) and IAALS board member Judge Kevin Burke has launched a blog on behalf of the AJA.

Fourth Judicial District Judge Kevin Burke has been elected president of the American Judges Association. The installation took place Thursday, September 15, at the association’s annual meeting in San Diego, CA. Judge Burke currently serves in the Fourth Judicial District’s Family Court in Minneapolis, MN.