Alexa Connaughton L’25 and Elyse Maniccia L’26 recently competed in the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition (NVLMCC), the nation’s most prestigious veterans law appellate competition. Seth Owens L’24, Betty and Miachel D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic Staff Attorney, coached the team and was assisted by Army JAG Major Nick VanErp.
The students were judged 1/3 on the content of their brief, 1/3 on their first argument, and 1/3 on their second argument. While the Syracuse Law team did not advance past the initial round, they proudly represented the College of Law. They had a positive experience learning the unique complexities of veterans law.
“I am very proud of their effort; both students were great ambassadors for Syracuse Law. One may even be interested in changing their preferred career path to pursue veterans law after this experience,” says Owens. “I would also like to note that we were the only team eliminated on day one to attend all rounds of the final arguments. The students enjoyed watching the competitors and used it as an opportunity to further their advocacy skills and self-reflect.”
First organized in 2009, NVLMCC is sponsored annually by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association, and the George Washington University Law School (GW Law). The NVLMCC is the nation’s premier moot court focusing on veterans law. Hosted close to Veterans Day each fall in Washington, DC, the NVLMCC brings together 28 teams of two students from around the country to argue cutting-edge veterans law issues before panels of distinguished practitioners and judges.
The NVLMCC prides itself on the authenticity of the problems and the quality of its judges. The record on appeal and the documents included look like what would be found in a real veterans law case. The judges for the briefs and the oral arguments are drawn from the ranks of experienced veterans law practitioners. In particular, the final round of each NVLMCC is presided over by a panel of judges from the CAVC in their courtroom. Few moot court competitions can boast an experience that is so true to actual practice.
George Saad L’25 won the Best Cross-Examination award at the Buffalo-Niagara Trial Competition. His cross-examination was deemed the best out of 96 cross-examinations during the preliminary rounds. The Syracuse Law team of Tania Rivera-Bullard, Dannah Henderson, Lisa Musto, Saad, Kaylee Searcy, and Taylor Shawver finished in 5th place out of 24 teams.
“In all likelihood, the state criminal cases will be put on hold during Trump’s presidency,” he wrote. “If they try to continue with the prosecutions, or even to impose a stayed sentence, I suspect the decisions will be reversed on appeal.”
This is the gripping story of Jimmy L. Thyden Gonzáles L’21 who recently discovered his status as a child who was stolen at birth and the various international legal responses that have taken place and continue to be pursued by Jimmy and others.
Crandall Melvin Professor of Law Shubha Ghosh has accepted an invitation to the editorial board of MDPI, an international publisher of open-access scientific, professional, and technical journals.
Professor Ghosh, director of the Syracuse Intellectual Property Law Institute, will provide editorial guidance on various legal topics, including intellectual property, innovation law, entrepreneurship, competition law (antitrust), and comparative and international law.
About MDPI
A pioneer in scholarly, open-access publishing, MDPI has supported academic communities since 1996. Based in Basel, Switzerland, MDPI has the mission to foster open scientific exchange in all forms, across all disciplines.
Our 455 diverse and open-access journals, including 446 peer-reviewed journals and 9 conference journals, are supported by more than 295,000 academic experts who share our mission, values, and commitment to providing high-quality service for our authors. We serve scholars from around the world to ensure the latest research is freely available and all content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
MDPI’s portfolio comprises at least 237 journals with impact factors, 72% of which are ranked in the top 2 quartiles of their respective fields.
Professor Gregory Germain has weighed in on the legality of Elon Musk’s PAC, America, with Newsweek.
According to Germain, the PAC may have broken the law. “I think the PAC and its donors are vulnerable to consumer fraud and possibly election fraud claims if they make inconsistent statements about the process, or fail to disclose how the information the PAC receives will be used,” he said.
Crandall Melvin Professor of Law Shubha Ghosh has contributed the opinion article “In Visa Case, DOJ Continues To Misapply The Sherman Act” at Law360.
The article reviews the Department of Justice’s case against Visa, claiming that Visa is monopolizing the U.S. debit network services market. Ghosh also examines the history of the Sherman Antitrust Act, the DOJ’s claims, and other factors in the case.
In his conclusion, Ghosh says “Under the Biden administration, the DOJ has already reaped significant criticism for disregarding these long-adhered-to standards, and its Visa case will inevitably receive the same degree of scrutiny.”
The National First-Generation College Celebration is celebrated annually on November 8 to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Being a First-Generation Law Student (FGLS) presents unique challenges, unfamiliar surroundings, and new experiences for those pursuing a J.D. The journey through law school can be demanding, but the accomplishment of reaching this stage is significant.
Each entering class at Syracuse Law includes many FGLS, creating a supportive network of peers with shared goals. Additionally, many faculty and staff at Syracuse Law were first-generation students in college and/or law school and are available to serve as mentors, advisors, and sources of support throughout the experience.
Chief among them is Professor Courtney Abbott Hill L’09, a Syracuse native and Syracuse Law alumna who obtained her J.D., magna cum laude, in 2009. In addition to teaching Legal Communication and Research (LCR) to first-year students, she is also the Faculty Advisor to the First-Generation Law Student Association (FGLSA).
Like many law students, her path to the legal profession was not traditional. “I was a political science major at Nazareth College, and everyone asked if I was going to law school. At the time, pursuing a career as an attorney was not something I had really considered. After graduating, I was teaching and working on a master’s in education, but going to law school was always in the back of my mind. I finally took the LSAT to see whether I could get accepted at Syracuse, which was the only school I applied to.”
As a proud lifelong resident of the area, being accepted to Syracuse Law meant the world to Professor Abbott Hill. She excelled at law school, serving as Managing Editor of the Syracuse Law Review and receiving the honors of Order of the Coif and the Justinian Honor Society, among many others.
Returning to her alma mater after serving as an Appellate Court Attorney at the New York State Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and then as a regional director for a national bar prep company, meant she was able to combine her love of teaching and the law in her role on the faculty.
“I returned to Syracuse Law to teach in the bar success program. Later, I had the opportunity to teach an LCR class and fell in love with it. I was fortunate to have mentors like my first-year LCR Professors, Ian Gallacher and Aliza Milner, who recognized I’d be good at this before I did and encouraged me to apply for a full-time position teaching LCR. I am so grateful for that encouragement because I have the greatest job in the world.”
Abbott Hill can trace her passion for teaching and mentoring back to spending summers working as a camp counselor and later as a teacher and coach at a Syracuse high school. “Even if I didn’t always know I wanted to teach in law school, in hindsight, it all makes sense,” she says.
“FGLSA is an amazing organization. Student leadership purposefully doesn’t define what a first-generation law student is because they want it to be the most inclusive, supportive organization for any student, residential or JDi, that wants to be a part of it.”
—Professor Courtney Abbott Hill L’09
These experiences help inform how Abbott Hill teaches first year law students in LCR, where they learn how to research and apply law to complex factual situations. She sees teaching or assessing students through the rigors of LCR as a not one-size-fits-all proposition. “I see my job as helping students identify goals for their legal education and partnering with them to achieve those goals. There is a steep learning curve the first semester of law school, so I’m willing to try non-traditional things in the classroom to help students understand and execute difficult legal concepts.”
As the Faculty Advisor to the FGLSA, Abbott Hill uses all her skills and experiences as a lifelong mentor and educator to make an impact on Syracuse Law students. “FGLSA is an amazing organization. Student leadership purposefully doesn’t define what a first-generation law student is because they want it to be the most inclusive, supportive organization for any student, residential or JDi, that wants to be a part of it.”
The FGLSA facilitates several programs for its members, including pairing first-year and upperclassmen as “buddies”, hosting panels and symposia on issues important to FGLS, networking events, and other opportunities to build community.
“We want to make that transition to law school a little smoother to those that may feel like a fish out of water,” says Abbott Hill.
Anthony J. Ruscitto ’22, ’23 MPA, L’27, has lived a life of service since he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17. And, while he’s no longer flying in military helicopters around the world, he has landed in a place close to home where he can be a voice to those in need: the Syracuse University College of Law.
Ruscitto served for five years as a CH-53H Super Stallion helicopter crew chief, which included two deployments overseas as a sergeant, weapons and tactics instructor, responsible for training enlisted aircrew at the squadron level. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2nd award), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (2nd award) for honorable service.
It was the military that first showed him how critical it is to master the basics before you practice something and dig deep to fully understand rules and regulations. Ruscitto has since adapted those lessons to navigate his continuing commitment to helping others, as well as drill down into military regulations and learn what options, resources and benefits are available to him and other veterans.
After completing his military service, the Central New York native earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and forensic science from Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences paid for entirely through the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. Next, through the G.I. Bill and with scholarships available to veterans at Syracuse University, he was able to earn a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
After earning his master’s degree, Ruscitto spent a year working as an administrative intern at the Onondaga County Veterans Service Agency, where he assisted veteran service officers with preparing and submitting claims for benefits from Veterans Affairs, as well as interacted with local advocacy agencies to bring a greater awareness of the needs of local veterans.
This fall, he returned to campus with a new mission: becoming a lawyer who could assist the military community by pursuing public interest or criminal defense law. His law school tuition was covered through the Veteran Readiness Program and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
“The idea that I can be the person in a courtroom who advocates for others, particularly those who have served our country, is very important. I can be a louder voice for the people who need one, and I believe that’s what public service is really all about.”
—Anthony J. Ruscitto ’22, ’23 MPA, L’27
Ruscitto’s approach to the challenges of law school is also rooted in his time in the military. “Every time I start something new, I go back to what I learned in the Marines: be honest, work hard and be humble,” he says.
“I know that I’m not the smartest person in the room and acknowledge that each person can teach me something. That encourages me to listen more closely to others’ perspectives. This mindset—that we can learn from everyone around us —comes from the Marines and has led me to continued success in ways I never thought possible,” Ruscitto adds.
Already, Ruscitto is finding his niche. He is the first-year representative for the Syracuse University Military and Veteran Legal Society, And, he is enjoying part-time work as a Syracuse Law ambassador, giving tours and introducing the law school to prospective students.
“I recently had the chance to interact with an undergraduate who is also a student-veteran, and I could tell he was uncertain about whether he could make it in law school,” Ruscitto explains. “So, I was excited to be able to show him that I am a student, I am a veteran—and I’m getting it done, and you can, too! The following week, we met up again. When you’re a veteran, it’s not always easy to see a clear path to law school, so I wanted to show him it was possible.”
Ruscitto is also enthusiastic about volunteering in the Syracuse Veterans Legal Clinic while at Syracuse Law. He says, “What better way to learn and apply the law than by helping veterans and their spouses in applying for the benefits they already earned?”
When Ruscitto graduates and adds “lawyer” to his long list of accomplishments, he intends to continue to advocate for veterans and members of the military. “I hope to stay in my own back yard and help veterans and citizens right here in the Syracuse community. Maybe that will be as a prosecutor or as a defense attorney. I don’t know yet, but, in the end, I’ll get to help people,” he says. “It’s a duty, and it’s an opportunity. No one should have to worry if they are getting fair treatment, even if they find themselves on the wrong side of the law. The idea that I can be the person in a courtroom who advocates for others, particularly those who have served our country, is very important. I can be a louder voice for the people who need one, and I believe that’s what public service is really all about.”
Professor Katherine Macfarlane spoke with USA Today for the article “New York’s Prop. 1 is a ‘backstop’ to protect rights, expert says | Fact check.”
Proposition 1, also known as the Equal Rights Amendment, is a proposed state constitutional amendment that would expand anti-discrimination protections for certain groups, including immigrants and those who have changed their gender identity.
Macfarlane says “Whenever rights are protected in the constitution, it’s harder to then pass a statute due to political whims to weaken them.”
