Distinguished Visiting Lecturer David Cay Johnston writes in the New York Daily News on the Manhattan District Attorney’s decision to halt the prosecution of former President Trump.
He writes, “Although such action is rare, the governor’s authority to replace any county district attorney with the state attorney general is nearly unfettered, New York state’s highest court held in 1997.”
Professor Arlene S. Kanter, Meredith Professor of Law, Director of the Disability Law and Policy Program, and Faculty Director of International Programs, and Bond, Schoeneck, and King Distinguished Professor Cora True-Frost L’01, have contributed essays to the American Journal of International Law Unbound in response to the publication, “Disability, Human Rights Violations, and Crimes Against Humanity”, published by Cambridge University Press.
Kanter’s essay is entitled, “The Potential Benefits and Limitations of the New Human Rights Indicators for the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities”.
True-Frost’s essay is entitled “Can International Criminal Law Help Express the Unrealized Value of Disabled Lives?”
This volume of the Unbound by symposium publication offers responses to the article, “Disability, Human Rights Violations, and Crimes Against Humanity” by William I. Pons (Senior Legal Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities), Janet E. Lord (Harvard Law School Project on Disability and Advisor to UN Special Rapporteur on Disability) and Michael Ashley Stein (co-founder and Executive Director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, and Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School.)
The team of 3Ls Morgan Steele and Jackson Somes won the 44th Annual Lionel O. Grossman Trial Competition. Somes also received the Best Advocate award.
They prevailed over finalists 2L Giovanni Antonucci and LL.M. student Dessi-Ann Yetman.
The Hon. Glenn T. Suddaby L’85, Chief U.S. District Court Judge, Northern District of New York served as the presiding judge. The evaluators were the Hon. Bernadette Romano Clark L’89, Oneida County Supreme Court Judge and the Hon. Rodney Thompson L’93, Presiding Judge, Family Division, Superior Court of New Jersey.
The Black Law Student Association (BLSA) Mock Trial Team has advanced to the national round of the Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition. This is the third year in a row the BLSA Mock Trial Team has advanced to the finals
The team consists of 3Ls Abigail Neuviller, Alexis Eka, Randi Gray, and 2Ls Autumn Burgin and Kendall Anderson. Burgin won the award for Best Cross-Examination and Neuviller won the award for Best Direct Examination.
John Boyd L’16 coaches the team.
Professor Arlene Kanter writes in the article “Our New Remote Workplace Culture Creates Opportunities for Disabled Employees” at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School’s Bill of Health blog about the positive impact that work-from-home arrangements will have on disabled employees.
In conclusion, she writes, “While it is true that not all employees — with or without disabilities — want to work from home, and not all jobs can be done remotely, increasing opportunities for remote work should be upheld under the ADA. Increasing job opportunities by offering remote work as an option for qualified employees with disabilities is not only a reasonable accommodation; it also furthers the primary goals of the ADA to promote employment and economic self-sufficiency of disabled people.”
At Just Security, Professor Mark Nevitt discusses the historical, legal, and implementation factors involved in establishing a No-Fly Zone over Ukrainian airspace.
Nevitt explains, “While I sympathize with the no-fly zone’s animating idea—to protect human lives—a NATO no-fly zone simply presents an unacceptable, escalatory risk to the United States and its allies – indeed, perhaps to the whole planet. It opens a Pandora’s box of anticipated and unintended consequences. Even if the no-fly zone is narrowly tailored with the express purpose of protecting humanitarian corridors—as signatories to a recent open letter suggested—it would fundamentally turn on U.S. and NATO military engagement with Russia, a nuclear power with an enormous nuclear arsenal. Its leaders have already hinted at potentially using them in exactly this context.”
The Wharlest and Exerlena Jackson Legacy Project and the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI) at Syracuse University College of Law are hosting the second annual Program on April 1 and 2, 2022 in honor of the memory of Wharlest and Exerlena Jackson for their major contributions and sacrifices to the cause of racial justice, civil rights, voting rights, and full civic engagement
This year’s Program Theme is: Honor Their Memories. Continue Their Legacy. The second annual program of the Wharlest and Exerlena Jackson Project is designed to recognize the sacrifices of the Jacksons for civil rights, to provide information and resources for students to achieve their aspirations and goals, and to continue the Jacksons’ legacy for racial and social justice. Participation is open to junior and senior high school students in Natchez, MS, Syracuse, NY., and communities in other areas. There are sessions for parents, guardians, teachers, and administrators to help students plan for post-high school life. The program takes place Friday evening, April 1, and throughout Saturday, April 2, 2022. The event will be held online on Zoom. The program is FREE and all are welcome to attend.
The program features a keynote presentation by Brad Lichtenstein and Yoruba Richen, directors of the PBS Frontline documentary, “American Reckoning,” about the lives of Wharlest and Exerlena Jackson, and the Black community’s resistance to racial injustice. There will be remarks by Jackson family members, including Denise Jackson Ford and Wharlest Jackson, Jr., CCJI Director Professor Paula C. Johnson, and law students in the Cold Case Justice Initiative, among other presenters.
There will be concurrent panels for students interested in college, vocational fields, creative arts, STEM, financial literacy, and civic participation. There also are sessions for parents, teachers, and administrators to discuss ways and resources to support high school students before and after graduation.
The registration deadline is Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 5:00 pm Central. For more information or questions, please contact jacksonlegacy@syr.edu.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Wharlest and Exerlena were active in Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi to assist people of color to register to vote, have a voice in their community, and to increase educational and employment opportunities. Wharlest became the Treasurer of the local NAACP Chapter, in Natchez. Exerlena was also active in the movement for voter registration and civil rights.
Wharlest had the qualifications that earned him a promotion within Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company for a job that previously had been held only by Whites. The Ku Klux Klan was very active in the area, and Wharlest was constantly threatened for his activism and his employment position. He was murdered on February 27, 1967, when a bomb was detonated under his truck when he left work.
No one has been held accountable for Wharlest Jackson’s death. However, Wharlest and Exerlena’s work was not in vain. They were courageous and their actions galvanized the community to insist on the equal rights and civic participation that they fought for. The Jackson Legacy Project will carry on their legacy by providing the annual two-day program to inspire others to continue to fight for voting rights, education, and employment opportunities for all people.
About the Cold Case Justice Initiative: The Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI) at Syracuse University College of Law was co-founded by Professor Paula C. Johnson and Professor Janis L. McDonald (emerita). Professor Johnson continues to direct the Initiative. CCJI investigates unsolved racially motivated homicides and disappearances, such as the Wharlest Jackson case, which occurred during the Civil Rights Era and contemporary times. CCJI works to hold responsible parties accountable and conducts relevant research, academic education, professional training, public awareness, and memorial legacies of victims of racial crimes who fought for the rights and freedoms of present and future generations. For more information, visit http://law.syracuse.edu/academics/clinical-experiential/experiential-courses/cold-case- justice-initiative/.
Judge James E. Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law, recently spoke with the ABA Law Student Podcast on the many international law issues raised by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Judge Baker examines Russia’s actions to date and offers insights on how the U.S. and other international players can and/or should respond as they follow the rule of law. They also discuss new uses of AI in war, historical examples that compare to Ukraine’s struggle against its aggressor, and why law matters even if a wartime opponent refuses to adhere to it.
In the Washington Post article, Professor Banks says, “A ruse like that one is perfidy and violates [international humanitarian law] and customary international law, Perfidy in lay terms is treachery.”
Professor Beth Kubala was recently elected as an advisor to the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG), the Alumni Association for the United States Military Academy (USMA). Kubala will serve as a member of the Advisory Council, a relatively large body responsible for advising the WPAOG Board of Directors on matters pertaining to the Association’s affairs. The WPAOG serves West Point and its graduates to further the ideals and promote the welfare of USMA.
Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Beth Kubala is a West Point graduate of the class of ’93 and is a teaching Professor and Executive Director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic. LTC (retired) Kubala served in the United States Army for 22 years and had multiple leadership positions in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, including Military Judge at Fort Drum, New York.
In November 2021, the West Point Association of Graduates held an annual meeting to elect members of the Board of Directors and the Advisory Council. LTC (retired) Kubala was elected as an advisor-at-large and will serve her three-year term from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024.
“I’m honored to have been elected to this position by my fellow graduates and I look forward to giving back to West Point,” LTC (retired) Kubala said.
In addition to her role as advisor, she will be joining the WPAOG Development Committee. The Development Committee advises the Board of Directors on the Association’s fundraising program and helps foster philanthropic support for cadet activities, programs, scholarships, and facilities.
