News Archives - Page 18 of 138

Enlightening Summer Study Abroad Programs Return to Stetson Law

A group of students stands along a stone bridge in Oxford, England — Between their studies, students taking part in the study abroad program in Oxford, England had plenty of time to explore.

After two years of COVID-19-related travel limitations, two popular summer study abroad programs returned to Stetson Law. The courses brought globe-trotting students and faculty to Oxford, England and The Hague, Netherlands for immersive experiences with a sharp focus on key aspects of international law.

The intensive sessions were complemented by generous amounts of time to explore the surrounding areas, their incredible history, and their vibrant cultures. Students came away from the experience with new perspectives and renewed enthusiasm for their study of the law.

Advocacy in Oxford

For two weeks in July, a group of students from Stetson Law and other institutions gathered in the U.K. to explore advocacy through theory, practice, and collaboration, and examine the similarities and differences between legal systems. Students were also exposed to the fundamental tenets of comprehensive case theory development, advanced witness examination, and persuasive storytelling.

Stetson Law professors Elizabeth Boals, Roberta Flowers, and Stephanie Vaughan were part of the team of instructors that led the course. Boals said one experience that stood out to her was Professor Rafe Foreman’s creative storytelling exercise, which involved a student trying to make a case in a language nobody understood, thus having to rely on gestures, vocal tones, and facial expressions to get her point across.

The lesson aimed to show students how understanding and conveying underlying emotions in a particular case is critical to persuasive storytelling – something many students struggled with at first, but eventually began to grasp.

Students gathered on a river dock for a photo in Oxford, England. — Students and faculty took time to see the sights in Oxford.

“It was thrilling to see how far they progressed in their storytelling techniques during their closing arguments at the end of the course,” Boals said. “Their stories were persuasive, rich, compelling, and steeped in emotion.”

When they weren’t studying, participants explored the historic campus and surrounding environs, snapping photos of the incredible architecture and other unique sights.

Stetson Law student Greg Mueller, who participated in the program said his favorite part about the Oxford program was connecting with students and faculty from both Stetson Law and their across-the-pond counterparts.

“It was fun to be abroad and to experience so many amazing things that I had only heard or read about, but the best part of the experience for me was being surrounded by teachers and peers that made seeing those things so much fun,” he said. “From sightseeing together to just chatting over a pint, we became a close-knit group in a matter of days. I learned so much from my incredibly talented teachers, but what surprised me was how much I learned from my friends.”

Part-time Stetson Law student Tyler Vansant said he loved being able to build the experience into an unforgettable summer getaway with his family.

“It was wonderful to bring my wife and sons along for the trip; they got to explore many other parts of the UK and we still had plenty of family time on several evenings and during the weekend,” he said. “Also, being able to study in an environment so steeped in rich academic history like Oxford was very intriguing.”

To Professor Boals, it was an engaging, collaborative experience that proved invigorating.

“It was amazing to offer this intensive hands-on experience in such a historic and inspiring location,” Boals said. “The students and faculty alike were hungry to explore and engage and interact with colleagues. It was a wonderful experience and reminded me why I do this work.”

International Justice in The Hague

Also in July, Stetson Law was part of a program that gave students a front-row seat to international courts and tribunals in The Hague, one of the Netherlands’ two capitals.

Known as the International City of Peace and Justice, The Hague has played an integral role in diplomacy and international affairs since the late 19th Century. This past March, world leaders convened there to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit on the prevention of nuclear terrorism around the globe.

A group of students and Professor Luz Nagle stand in front of a line of international flags in The Hague, Netherlands. — Law Professor Luz Nagle (sixth from left) led an important course on violence against women in The Hague in summer of 2022.

The program consisted of four weeklong courses: Indigenous Peoples in International Courts, Freedom of Expression: Modern Challenges and Comparative Perspectives, Comparative Transnational Criminal Procedure, and Violence Against Women: Armed Conflict, Exploitation and Subjugation. The course covering violence against women was led by Stetson Law Professor Luz Nagle. Law Professor Jim Sheehan served as the program’s Residential Director.

Students found the summer 2022 study abroad experience in The Hague, Netherlands, enlightening.

To students, it was an eye-opening experience.

For 2L Sondos Hassan, it was an opportunity to compare legal systems while learning to understand and appreciate the overlapping nature of American law and other legal bodies. It was a great way to stay productive over the summer, she said, adding that her favorite part of the program was visiting the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

“Seeing the collective attempt to create a center for the enforcement of human rights on an international level was both inspiring and humbling as we got to witness the challenges to those aspirations, such as jurisdictional issues, and also the philosophical ideations of what level human rights should be relative on an international scale,” Hassan said.

Professor Nagle said The Hague, a place where crimes against humanity are addressed at the international level, provided the right backdrop to tackle the difficult topic she was teaching on, violence against women, because it took the matter out of the abstract.

“I will like to believe that all the students learned something about violence against women that was previously abstract or remote,” Nagle said “By taking such a course, some of the students will remember the topics and know how to look for signs of violence in future clients or understand the root causes and impacts in the civil society in which they will be practicing lawyers.”

As for the overall experience, she said it was liberating for everyone.

“It was wonderful to see students engaging in the travel experience, and they took full advantage. Many visited other cities and nearby countries during their weekends and before and after the program,” she said. “As for the teaching experience, it felt great to teach “live” somewhere other than on campus. The change of environment was good for my motivation and great for the students.”

For more information on summer study abroad programs at Stetson Law, visit the international programs page.

Stetson Law Welcomes Over 300 New Students

Darren Kettles takes a selfie with a room full of new students in Stetson Law's Great Hall. — Darren Kettles, Director of Admissions at Stetson Law, takes a selfie with the fall 2022 incoming class during the new student orientation.

In the week ahead of the start of the 2022 fall semester, the Stetson Law community welcomed its newest members, 306 first-year students in all, to campus for a lively orientation. Faculty and staff sought to show the students, who are both part- and full-time, the opportunities that await them as well as the resources available to help ensure their success in law school and beyond.

Events took place in the Great Hall and Mann Lounge on the Gulfport campus. The students came from a diverse range of backgrounds and represented nearly 30 states and half a dozen countries.

Here are some more stats for Stetson Law’s incoming class.

28% racial/ethnic diversity
28 states outside Florida represented
6 non-U.S. countries represented
Median LSAT: 158
Median GPA: 3.51

The Stetson Law community looks forward to a vibrant academic year, which begins on August 22. See more Stetson Law news & stories.

3 Stetson Law Alums Tapped for Area Judgeships

Three Stetson Law alumni have recently been appointed judges in Tampa Bay area courtrooms.

In a single day, three Stetson Law graduates got well-deserved promotions to key judgeships in Tampa Bay area courtrooms. On August 5, the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of the three alums to benches in Hillsborough and Hernando counties, which adds to the ever-growing number of important roles Stetson alums hold in courtrooms, legislatures, and other critical areas.

Marc Makholm, Hillsborough County Court

Stetson Law alumus The Hon. Marc Makholm

After years working in both private practice and public service, Makholm was appointed to the bench in Hillsborough County to fill the vacancy left by Judge James Moody III. For the prior 11 years, Makholm served as general counsel to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. While working as a criminal defense attorney in Tampa, The Tampa Bay Times profiled him in 2010. He received his B.A. from the University of Florida and his J.D. from Stetson Law. The Hillsborough Clerk of the Circuit Court is headquartered in downtown Tampa, with satellite locations in Brandon and Plant City.

Stetson Law alumna The Hon. Cynthia Oster

Cynthia Oster, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court

Following four years of service as a Hillsborough County court judge, Oster was appointed to the bench in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which covers Hillsborough County. Prior to becoming a judge, she spent 18 years as a senior county attorney in the Hillsborough County Attorney’s office. She earned her bachelor’s from the University of Florida and her J.D. from Stetson Law. Her appointment fills the vacancy left by the departure of Judge Emmett Battles.

Barbara-Jo Bell, Hernando County Court

A native of Spring Hill, Bell has been working as an assistant state attorney in Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit for a year. Prior to that, she spent years as an assistant public defender. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Tampa and her J.D. from Stetson Law. Her appointment fills the vacancy left in the wake of the departure of Judge Kristen Healis. The Hernando County Clerk of the Circuit Court has a headquarters in Brooksville and has a second location in Spring Hill.

More recent Stetson Law alums-turned-judges

Graduates of Stetson Law aren’t just earning judicial appointments in the Tampa Bay area. Recent notable bench appointments for alums include Natasha R. Shaw, who was appointed to a newly established judgeship in Hawaii’s District Family Court in March of 2022. In August 2022, Alumnus Christian Towns was appointed a judge in the San Bernardino County Superior Court.

Stetson Law Welcomes New Faculty for Fall 2022

A collection of four headshots of Stetson Law faculty members — Clockwise from top left: Assistant Professor of Law William Bunting, Assistant Professor of Law Ashley Krenelka Chase, Visiting Professor of Law William Henning, Assistant Professor of Law Jaclyn Lopez

The start of every academic year at Stetson Law represents new beginnings in more ways than one. For new and returning students, it’s a time to set goals and intentions. For returning faculty, it’s a time to plan what they hope will be transformative lessons for students.

For those about to set foot on campus as new professors of law, it’s a time to delve into the Stetson Law community’s warm, welcoming, and hardworking culture. The 2022 fall semester kicks off such experiences for three new faculty members as well as one new visiting professor of law.

“As a fresh academic year begins, I am thrilled to welcome our new and visiting faculty to campus,” said Interim Dean Theresa Pulley Radwan. “I look forward to the ways in which they will enrich our community.”

Each will bring unique, invaluable knowledge and experience to class at Stetson Law. Here is some background on each of the individuals the college proudly welcomes to campus:

William Bunting, Assistant Professor of Law

Law Professor William Bunting stands in front of a stack of law books — Stetson Law Professor William Bunting

With a strong background in business law’s complex relationship with civil rights and economics, Bunting joins Stetson’s Law faculty from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, where he taught and conducted research as part of the Department of Legal Studies in Business.

His scholarly work is incredibly timely; it includes a paper on a potential inverse relationship between access to mortgage dollars and crime as well as an article on how to rebuild the retail sector.

Before academia, he worked as an economist in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where he developed models and other tools to help the agency better serve consumers, served in the American Civil Liberties Union’s Center for Justice, was a practicing attorney in New York City, and worked as a law clerk for The Hon. Theodore H. Katz, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York.

Bunting holds a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Carleton College.

Ashley Krenelka Chase, Assistant Professor of Law

While she is not new to campus, Chase’s exciting new role as full-time faculty is just beginning.

An influential force in promoting “electronic-first” research methods, Professor Ashley Chase has worn a lot of hats in her years at Stetson Law. Most recently, she served as associate director of the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library, where she helped plan, develop, and evaluate reference and circulation initiatives and activities.

She became an instructor of law at Stetson in 2015; classes she taught have included an advanced legal research course developed with Digital-Age law students in mind. The American Association of Law Libraries named her an Emerging Leader in 2017.

Chase’s recent scholarly work includes “Neutralizing Access to Justice: Criminal Defendants’ Access to Justice in a Net Neutrality Information World” and “Upending the Double Life of Law Schools: Millennials in the Legal Academy.”

She earned her J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law as well as a M.A. in Library and Information Science from University of South Florida and a B.A. in English from Bradley University.

William Henning, Visiting Professor of Law

Visiting Professor of Law William Henning

An expert in the Uniform Commercial Code, Henning has a passion for reforming commercial laws to better reflect the needs of people. He visits Stetson Law from Texas A&M University School of Law, where he taught Contracts, Sales & Leases of Goods, Secured Transactions, and other courses. He has been a law professor for over four decades; his teaching experience also includes the University of Missouri Columbia School of Law and the University of Alabama School of Law.

Henning is a life member of the Uniform Law Commission and a member of the American Law Institute. He received his B.A. from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, and an LL.M. from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Jaclyn Lopez, Assistant Professor of Law

Stetson Law Professor Jaclyn Lopez

A Florida native with a passion for conserving the state’s wildlife and natural spaces, Lopez comes to Stetson Law from the Center for Biological Diversity, where she served as the environmental nonprofit’s Florida Director and senior attorney. She holds an LL.M. in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She also holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona.

While at the Center for Biological Diversity, Lopez’s work involved advocating for protection of ecosystems in the Caribbean and the Southeast U.S. She has written, taught, and presented extensively on environmental topics, including at Stetson Law. Lopez presented on red tide in Florida waterways in August of 2021 as part of the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series. In January of 2017, she spoke about the hazards of Florida’s phosphate industry as part of the series, and in April of 2016, she presented at the 16^th International Wildlife Law Conference on “The Miraculous Life of a Sea Turtle.” She also served as a final-round judge for the 2020 International Environmental Moot Court Competition.

Professor Lake Highlights Proposed Title IX Changes

Professor Peter Lake speaks at a podium at the higher education conference — Stetson Law Professor Peter Lake

To help higher-education officials better understand the U.S. Department of Education’s extensive proposed changes to its Title IX policy, Stetson Law Professor Peter Lake gave an in-depth overview of what may be to come and how the industry may be affected.

At the top of his presentation, Lake, the Charles A. Dana Chair and Director of Stetson Law’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law & Policy, warned his audience things were about to get intense.

“I basically have a three-hour presentation that I’ve tried to figure out how to squeeze into an hour and a half,” he said.

Signed into law in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, Title IX protects against sex-based discrimination at institutions that receive direct federal funding – namely, educational institutions, including public colleges and universities. It deals with everything from LGBTQIA+ protections to procedural requirements for investigating sexual misconduct allegations.

Inviting stakeholder comments

Now at its half-century mark, the policy has continuously evolved alongside shifting cultural and political landscapes. The latest proposed changes, for which DOE seeks comment, are spelled out over 700 pages in a document Lake called “deliciously difficult to parse through,” but worthwhile given what he said appears to be an openness to feedback on the part of DOE.

“This document that you’ve got is really unique in a lot of ways, because it’s a conversation document,” Lake said. “It’s designed to be iterative. It’s designed to trigger comments at many points.”

Changing protections & processes

Many aspects of the draft regulations are similar to the current policy, but with adaptations that attempt to solve for complications that arise amid an increasingly intricate and often-contentious regulatory and political climate.

Key changes include:

Greater LGBTQIA+ protections
Stronger pregnant and parenting protections
A new, broader definition of harassment
More adaptability for recipient grievance process

Lake gave an overview of how some of these proposed changes may conflict with ongoing litigation pertaining to the intersection of free speech and LGBTQIA+ protections, the potential influence of recent developments like the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and potential conflicts with states that pass laws that are contrary to Title IX regulations.

“Title IX just took a big pivot, and it’s pivoting very clearly toward reproductive rights,” Lake said. “I do not need to belabor the fact that the Supreme Court struck a match this summer, and wherever you stand on the panoply of ways of viewing what happened this summer, be prepared for a department that intends to – at least for now – move toward reproductive rights protection in a way that we have not seen previously.”

Current events, including the pandemic, may shape the new rules when it comes to resolving challenges where mental health is a factor.

“Mental health intersects with Title IX enforcement in very prominent ways,” Lake said. “The emphasis on supportive services suggests to me that we need to be prepared, when this rule-making process concludes, for very strong interest in supportive services, particularly ones that are related to mental health. We’ll have to prepare the field now for the services that we’ll legally be required to provide that will be connected with a surge in mental health issues.”

The deadline to comment on the proposed Title IX changes is September 22, 2022. See all proposed changes here, and make comments here.

The Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law & Policy’s next webinar, “Higher Education and the Constitutionalist Court: The Supreme Court Expands Liberty and Promotes Democratic Decision-Making,” takes place August 17, 2022 from 1:00 – 2:30 P.M. and will feature William E. Thro, general counsel for the University of Kentucky. Get more details and register.

Youth Civic Engagement Program Introduces Teens to Advocacy

A group of young students holds up diplomas in Stetson Law's Great Hall. — Left to right: Antonio Graham, Jr., Lachelle Allen, Corisa Foster, Kai Rutledge, Ciena Cumberbatch, Catie Parish, Julian Fuller, Kuiper Elza, Eniyah Cineas, Shyann Givens, Zach Kelly, JoShonna Harris, Antwon Howard, Ava-Marie Rollins.

Over the course of a week in July, high school students from in and around St. Petersburg got an up-close look at how government works at all levels – and how to use their voices to advocate for change.

The eye-opening experience, conducted in partnership with the nonprofit organization Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, invited a diverse group of local youth to engage with Stetson Law faculty and staff, judges, lawyers, and other professionals. All shared insights on the justice system, how laws are made, and how to promote social justice at the ballot box and beyond.

It also involved thought experiments on how to create a society from the ground up, respectful debate about the role government should play in everyday life, lessons in post-high-school life, and self-care sessions.

IN PHOTOS: Stetson Law’s 2022 Youth Civic Engagement Program

YouthCivicEngagement2022Groupshotcourtroom

Now in its second year, the Youth Civic Engagement Program aims to enhance civics education for the participants – thereby equipping students with a working knowledge of their rights and the avenues by which they can advocate for their communities.

“We must change the world for the better. No matter what,” said Carl Lavender, chief equity officer at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, as the program started. “As aspiring young leaders…you’re able to go to trial and litigate on behalf of what is good for all of us as people.”

During virtual and in-person events, instructors sought to give participants a deeper understanding of their place in the world and how to challenge the status quo.

“One of the things that we want to do is to motivate you to learn more about why things are the way they are,” said Law Professor Judith Scully, who helped organize the program. “We want to also help you to understand that the words on the page that constitute the law may not always be the best possible way of protecting our rights.”

A broad range of backgrounds & interests

The students were selected to participate from an applicant pool of local youth ages 15-17. Program organizers sought diverse voices; participants ranged from an aspiring attorney to a talented visual artist. Among the issues they expressed interest in were criminal justice, civil rights, advocating for workers, LGBTQ+ issues, healthcare, and intellectual property.

Carmen Johnson, Executive Officer of Diversity, Collaboration, and Inclusion for Stetson University, said it’s the college’s role to examine the legal system and ways it can be used to foster a fairer society.

“Part of our work here at Stetson, and throughout higher education in general, is to analyze institutions that were created years ago and understand how many were not built with inclusion in mind,” Johnson said. “We want to find ways to benefit more and more people, and ensure that people of all backgrounds belong and can thrive throughout these important spaces.”

Over the course’s five days, faculty and community presenters introduced the students to topics ranging from social justice, advocacy, human rights, and civic responsibility to mindfulness, goal-setting, and planning for college.

Kuiper Elza, a student from St. Petersburg High School who participated in the program, said the emphasis on activism was a big draw for them.

“I found it really interesting to learn different tools for how to be an activist and advocate for yourself and communities – and different ways you can educate yourself, educate other people,” Elza said.

Field trip to a courthouse

On the final day, participants and instructors boarded a bus to the St. Petersburg Judicial Courthouse, a branch of Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit, where civil trials and other proceedings take place for Pinellas and Pasco Counties. There, Judge Steve Berlin gave them an overview of the judiciary and day-to-day life in the courtroom.

They also heard from three Stetson Law alumni currently working in different areas of law: Keongela Randle, an assistant public defender in the Sixth Judicial Circuit; Forest Sutton, an assistant state attorney from the 12th Judicial Circuit, which comprises Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties; and Assita Toure, an attorney with the Rumberger Kirk law firm.

The alumni elaborated on their roles and shared insights on what law school was like before conducting a mock voir dire to show how attorneys vet potential jurors prior to a trial.

Challenging, but rewarding

The Saturday following the program, students and their families attended a brunch reception where they celebrated their success and reflected on the week’s events.

Interim Dean Theresa Pulley Radwan praised them for taking time away from their summer break to be part of a challenging program.

“We are in unprecedented times in this country,” she said. “Think about how you can be part of advocating for change about the things that you are most passionate about. I know that it was not an easy week, and I appreciate that you were willing to take that week and be part of what I hope was just the beginning of your future as an advocate, as someone who’s passionate about making change in the world and finding your place in it.”

Law Professor Christine Cerniglia, who co-organized the program and led many of the sessions, commended the students for the openness she saw over the week.

“We heard a deep understanding of what needs to happen in our country. We tackled topics from abortion to the recent Supreme Court cases to systematic issues of racial justice,” Cerniglia said. “The voices were powerful; absolutely powerful.”

Spring ’22 Valedictorian Jessica Zelitt: A Passion for Health Policy

A young woman stands in graduation regalia with Mediterranean buildings and palm trees in the background. — Jessica Zelitt, Stetson Law’s Spring’ 22 valedictorian.

When it comes to the often-complex relationship between healthcare and the law, recent Stetson Law graduate Jessica Shoshana Zelitt is well-versed.

The Lakewood Ranch, Florida native, who was named Stetson Law’s Spring 2022 valedictorian, has been managing Type 1 Diabetes since she was eight years old. She now hopes the knowledge and expertise she gained at Stetson Law will eventually position her to take on a role where she can help shape public health policy.

Keeping a full calendar

Zelitt’s time at Stetson can best be described as active. She was part of Stetson Law Review, where she harnessed her passion for healthcare policy to research and write “Pay or Die: Evaluating the United States Insulin Pricing Crisis and Realistic Solutions to End It,” an article that appeared in Volume 50, Issue 3 of the publication.

In February of 2022, Zelitt was part of the Dispute Resolution Board team that swept the Florida Bar International Law section’s Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot event in Miami.

She participated in the Honors Program, a year-long legal research and writing endeavor available only to top students.

She was recognized for each of these activities at the college’s May 2022 Honors and Awards Ceremony.

Setting a goal early on

On top of it all, Zelitt was applying herself in the classroom in the hope that she would become valedictorian – an aspiration she developed after her first semester of classes went incredibly well. She said she is incredibly proud of becoming valedictorian but recognizes the challenging work of all her classmates.

“It’s truly an honor because I know how hard everyone in my class has worked over the course of their law school career,” Zelitt said. “I think it’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and struggle on my own part, but my peers have played a big role in encouraging me and inspiring me to accomplish what I’ve done.”

While steadfast motivation was clearly a key to her success, Zelitt cites remaining engaged through all her campus activities as a factor. Being involved with the law review and Dispute Resolution Board helped her view her studies through a more practical lens.

To Law Professor Stephanie Vaughan, who helped coach and mentor Zelitt ahead of the Vis Pre-Moot event, her success demonstrates how participation in extracurricular advocacy activities can help deepen a student’s understanding of the law.

“I am positive that there is a strong connection between involvement in activities like advocacy boards and law review to a student’s overall success in law school,” Vaughan said. “Jessica’s having achieved valedictorian status is certainly a case-in-point, and I am incredibly proud to have been a part of her experience at Stetson Law.”

Staying the course in unusual times

Prior to coming to Stetson Law, Zelitt first majored in physics at University of South Florida before changing her major to public health with a minor in political science. She then knew law school was in the cards and, wanting to remain in the Tampa Bay area, set her sights on Stetson Law.

Perhaps ironically for someone aspiring to work in the arena of healthcare policy, much of her experience at Stetson Law was shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented healthcare crisis that led to multiple semesters of virtual classes, masking, and other precautions.

“This really wasn’t a normal experience,” Zelitt said. “But I’m proud that I made it through and everybody else did too because it was truly unprecedented.”

Zelitt is set to start her career at Adams and Reese, LLP in Sarasota, where she plans to put her knowledge, experience, and passion to use as a practitioner.

The Guardian Quotes Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy on Election Fraud Claims Lawsuit

Stetson Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy

In a July 2 article in The Guardian titled “Fox and Friends confront billion-dollar US lawsuits over election fraud claims,” Stetson Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy was quoted on the likelihood that Dominion has a valid defamation case against media outlets accusing the electronic voting systems manufacturer of voter fraud.

Versions of the story also ran in Yahoo! News and other outlets.

Law Professor Louis Virelli III quoted in Rolling Stone

Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade, Rolling Stone published a piece titled “SCOTUS Justices ‘Prayed With’ Her – Then Cited Her Bosses to End Roe.”

The article quoted Stetson Law Professor Louis Virelli III, who commented on whether Supreme Court justices’ praying with a group that filed an amicus brief is problematic.

Versions of the story also ran on Yahoo! Entertainment and other outlets.

Eye-Opening Civil Rights Travel Experience Returns to Stetson Law

Eleven people stand on the side of the road near a bridge on a sunny day. — Students with Stetson Law’s 2022 Civil Rights & the Law Course pose for a group shot before following in the footsteps of activists who marched in Selma, Alabama.

A group of law students has just wrapped up a once-in-a-lifetime experience exploring the places, events, and people that shaped the Civil Rights Movement.

The two-week course took students to places like the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. Along the way, students had the opportunity to converse with activists and others whose actions led to fundamental shifts toward fairer treatment of Black Americans. The course’s first week consisted of in-class and virtual discussions to help set the table for the immersive experience that took place the following week.

This is the first time the course has been offered since before Covid-19 concerns limited travel, and all student travel expenses were covered by scholarships.

The course explored the Civil Rights Movement through a legal lens: namely, how state and federal law have been used as a tool for racial and social injustice, efforts to justify these laws, the movement’s enduring inspiration of modern civil rights campaigns, and how it was an intellectual, strategic, and legal endeavor in addition to being a movement around morals and shared humanity.

LibraryGroupShotCivilRights

Stetson University Executive Director of Diversity, Collaboration and Inclusion Carmen Johnson and University of Alabama School of Law Professor Emeritus Martha Morgan co-taught the course, which is part of a university-wide curricular initiative and commitment to education about social justice and the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement. A similar undergraduate-level course was available to students at Stetson University’s DeLand campus this summer.

“It is an honor to have such an impactful course here at Stetson, where it is celebrated across our campuses as an inspiration for students to have an impact in their communities, no matter what career or passions they choose,” Johnson said. “This is a unique opportunity for students to not only study the grassroots and legal advocacy that occurred during Civil Rights Movement, but to also delve into some of the history that sparked the Movement and explore the strategies of current civil rights struggles.”

Experiential learning with purpose

The course took students to celebrated places where Civil Rights activists risked their lives to protest social injustice, infamous sites of racially motivated violence, somber monuments to acts of brutality endorsed by Southern policymakers in the Civil Rights era, and museums offering an immersive look at the movement.

In Montgomery, students engaged in an intimate dialogue with civil rights leader, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, who was one of the key organizers of the Nashville Student Sit-In Movement, the Freedom Rides, and the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama in coalition with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, and others. In Memphis, students explored the National Civil Rights Museum, which was established in the Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. In Selma, Alabama, they walked the bridge where Civil Rights leaders like Rep. John Lewis were assaulted by police as they marched – and pondered the meaning of “Good Trouble” before a mural of Lewis in his Atlanta home district. In Montgomery, Alabama, students stood among the dramatic and somber memorials for enslavement, lynchings, and mass incarceration of Black Americans at both The Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

While often emotionally challenging, students said the experience strengthened their resolve to advocate for greater social justice.

“I have a renewed call to action, to make an impact,” said student La’Tonya Lynn. “If I am resilient and persevere, I too can be victorious, even when faced with adversity.”

Asked what future law students should consider when taking the course, student Neil Dalson said the experience can be pivotal for any law student, regardless of their background or chosen area of expertise.

“It has been one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences,” Dalson said. “Regardless of why you chose law school, or what area you specialize in, this course will become central to how you approach law.”

Campus and university officials say it is important that this immersive experience is available to Stetson Law students – especially considering the college’s emphasis on advocacy.

“As an institution dedicated to advocacy education, it is critical that we offer experiences that show students why societies need passionate advocates like them,” said Stetson Law Interim Dean Theresa Pulley Radwan. “This course gives them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about and reflect upon the profound, systemic injustices that spurred the Civil Rights Movement and the brave activists who sacrificed so much for progress – many of whom continue to do so today.”

Compelling Classroom Conversations

To help set the scene for students ahead of their trip, the course’s first week consisted of powerful perspective from Civil Rights leaders and historians.

Melissa Fay Greene, author of Praying for Sheetrock and The Temple Bombing, spoke about intersectionality and coalition building among different civil rights struggles, including the Black and Jewish communities during segregation in Atlanta.

University of South Florida Professor of Southern History Ray Arsenault, an expert on the Civil Rights Movement, spoke of the importance of civil disobedience in the push to change society.

“It’s the moral and physical courage of these individuals that disrupted and confounded the racists expectations of whites. They didn’t act the way that Black people were ‘supposed’ to act…because this movement culture gave them a new sense of identity, a new sense of themselves, empowering them, really, to challenge and bring down a legal and social system dedicated to racial discrimination and white supremacy.”

Dr. Alexander Brown, who participated in the Birmingham Crusade and Children’s Marches and was in Selma on the bridge on Bloody Sunday, told compelling stories about his experiences growing up in Birmingham, Alabama during segregation and the dawn of the Civil Rights movement there.

Brown, who knew two of the girls who died in the racially motivated bombing of the 16^th Street Church, cautioned the students not to let their grief and anger over past events – however unjust and upsetting – consume them.

“You are about to go on a tour that’s going to really open your eyes,” he said. “Understand that negative feelings about that now are really unproductive. What we need now is a recognition of what has happened and your resolve to work toward that not happening again.”

American Law Institute Names Professor Podgor A Life Member

Law Professor Ellen Podgor smiles in front of the library. — Law Professor Ellen Podgor, an expert in white collar crime

For her 25 years of service to its mission of clarifying, simplifying, and modernizing common law, the American Law Institute has given prestigious Life Member status to Stetson Law Professor Ellen Podgor.

Podgor, a nationally recognized criminal law scholar whose award-winning work focuses on white collar crime, was nominated to ALI and elected to the group in 1997. While several other Stetson Law faculty members are members, she is the only current faculty member to have a Life Membership.

Exclusive group, invaluable work

Currently on the eve of its centennial, the institute has been dedicated to the mission of making the law clearer, more consistent, and reflective of modern society since its founding in 1923. Its work entails drafting, discussing, refining, and publishing “Restatements of the Law, Model Codes, and Principles of Law that are enormously influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education,” according to the organization’s website.

The ALI consists of law professors, lawyers, and judges who have earned significant achievements in their field and have shown interest in making the legal system better serve the people. Prospective members are nominated by current members, and the recommendation must be backed by at least two other members.

Rethinking the penal code

Since joining ALI, Podgor has been a member of six of the organization’s consultative projects, and has been an active member of the Model Penal Code Sentencing Project. The effort aims to examine the sentencing guidelines of the ALI’s existing Model Penal Code “in light of the many changes in sentencing philosophy and practice that have taken place” since the code was developed more than half a century ago.

Several years ago, she was also co-author, along with Rutgers Law Professor Roger Clark, of the Motion to Oppose the Death Penalty. Although the membership did not vote to oppose the death penalty, they did, two years later, remove the death penalty provisions from the Model Penal Code.

“Law reform work can often feel tedious as one works line-by-line through proposed statutory language,” Podgor said. “It is enormously rewarding, however, to look back over the past 25 years of being a part of the ALI’s important work and see all that has been accomplished to advance our legal process. But it is also important to recognize that there is so much more work yet to be done.”

Stetson Law’s ALI legacy

A popular professor who has authored numerous books and articles on white collar crime and other aspects of criminal law, has been quoted on major cases in national media outlets, and launched Stetson’s Law’s Business Law Review Symposium, Podgor was named the college’s Gary R. Trombley Family White-Collar Crime Research Professor in 2011. She is editor of the highly regarded White Collar Crime Law Prof Blog.

Those who have worked with her over the years say her ALI Life Member status is fitting.

“Achieving Life Member status is a well-deserved recognition Professor Podgor has received for her dedication to law reform and justice,” said Stetson Law Interim Dean Theresa Pulley Radwan, who is also an ALI member. “She elevates everything in which she is involved, and we are incredibly fortunate that she is a member of the Stetson Law community.”

The other Stetson Law faculty members belonging to the ALI are professors Kristen Adams, Rebecca Morgan, Luz Nagle, and Candace Zierdt, as well as Liz Moody, emeritus professor, who is also a Life Member.

Students Help on Amici Brief in SCOTUS Clean Water Case

Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency could determine the extent of Clean Water Act protections across the U.S.

With help from faculty, Stetson Law students contributed significantly to an amici brief filed by Professor Royal Gardner, director of the college’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy filed on behalf of twelve scientific organizations in a case that could prove critical in the fate of the Clean Water Act.

What the case is about

The case, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, may change which waters are defined under the Clean Water Act. Expected to be the first the U.S. Supreme Court hears when its new term starts in October, it is the culmination of a lawsuit stemming from an Idaho couple’s attempt to construct a home on a wetland that the EPA considered to be “water of the United States” (WOTUS). For over a decade, litigation ensued, with environmental groups advocating for maintaining the current standard.

If decided in favor of the petitioners, the ruling could undo protections for millions of acres of wetlands directly connected to lakes, rivers, and other ecosystems.

Behind the brief

Amici curiae (“friends of the court”) briefs have been filed both for and against the Sacketts. Stetson Law faculty and students researched and wrote the brief on behalf of 12 scientific organizations that support stronger protections for waters of the United States (WOTUS).

These scientific organizations are the American Fisheries Society, American Institute of Biological Sciences, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, Ecological Society of America, Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, International Association for Great Lakes Research, North American Lake Management Society, Phycological Society of America, Society for Ecological Restoration, Society for Freshwater Science, and Society of Wetland Scientists.

Stetson's biodiversity institute director Royal Gardner visited the Okavango Delta, Botswana in May. — Professor Royal Gardner, director of Stetson Law’s Institute for Biodiversity Law & Policy.

The brief asserts that science needs to inform the approach to determining whether wetlands should be protected, and the science shows that wetlands, even when one cannot see them connected to other waterways from the surface, support the integrity of other bodies of water.

“If Petitioners’ proposed ‘continuous surface-water connection’ to a traditional navigable water were required for wetlands, more than 50% percent of wetlands in some watersheds would no longer be protected by the Clean Water Act. Were such a standard applied to streams, ephemeral and intermittent streams would not be jurisdictional waters, and thus more than 90% percent of stream length in some watersheds would no longer be protected by the Clean Water Act,” the brief summary reads.

A valuable experience

To the Stetson Law students who participated, it was a chance to use their budding advocacy skills in an area they are passionate about.

“Though work on the brief was challenging, each of us who participated understood the importance of our efforts and the high stakes riding on the case,” said student William McCann, who assisted with the document’s citations.

Recent Stetson Law graduate Lauren Beames said she knew it would be an exciting, collaborative experience. Between sessions studying for the Florida bar exam, she saw Professor Gardner, who gave her a printed copy of the brief after it had officially been accepted.

“Seeing the time I spent sifting through copious amounts of scientific research and legal authority constructed into strong, sound legal arguments in an amicus brief that will go before the United States Supreme Court is an experience, I am extremely proud to have been a part of,” Beames said.

Student Cal Raubolt, who worked on the brief’s citations, said what struck him was how so many people came together to make it come about – something that is not always apparent when one reads a Supreme Court decision and its pertinent documents.

“In reality, there are dozens of hands that put in so much hard work for it to ever get to that point,” he said. “It is beautiful to be able to say that my hands were a part of that hard work, however small a part it was.”

Second-year law student Tyler Vansant, who assisted in research for the brief, said the experience gave him an even closer glimpse of the intricacies of environmental policy.

“Working on this brief was an invaluable way to learn more about the very complex science of wetlands (and WOTUS in general) and gave me a much deeper understanding of the challenges that the EPA and other agencies face in creating rules and policy in this area,” he said.

Brooke M. Cleary, who helped proofread the document, said the project was a critical exercise in legal writing that showcased Stetson Law’s culture of collaboration.

“This unique experience enhanced my writing competencies and furthered my passion for environmental law, specifically waters of the United States,” Cleary said. “I’m so thankful Professor Gardner provided this opportunity to assist with his presentation to the Supreme Court.”

The students were part of a legal team that included Katherine Pratt, Stetson’s Foreman Biodiversity Fellow, Prof. Erin Okuno of the University of Miami, Prof. Steph Tai of the University of Wisconsin, and Kathleen Gardner of Shearman & Sterling LLP, a global law firm that supports the Biodiversity Institute on a pro bono basis.

The brief is not the first Stetson Law project to play a role in a SCOTUS clean water case. In 2018, the college filed an amici curiae in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund et al. The following year, the Court cited the brief in its decision in favor of stronger protection of water resources.