Atticus DeProspo (1L) has been selected as one of 111 members of the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars.
DeProspo will be awarded a fully funded year of study and leadership training at Tsinghua University in Beijing and will take classes and live at the newly constructed Schwarzman College on the Tsinghua campus. DeProspo and scholars from 32 countries and 75 universities were selected for their intellectual and academic ability, leadership potential and strength of character.
Inspired by the Rhodes Scholarships, Schwarzman Scholars is designed to prepare its graduates to build stronger relationships with China and to address the most pressing challenges of the 21st Century.
DeProspo interned at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2015, and he will take a year off from law school to study public policy in China. Ultimately, he plans to pursue a career as a public servant in the federal government and as an inclusion ambassador for professional sport leagues.
“The caliber of this first class of Schwarzman Scholars is truly exceptional. Each scholar has demonstrated tremendous leadership potential at a young age and differentiated themselves through a myriad of academic and non-academic pursuits,” said Stephen A. Schwarzman, the program’s founder. “It is my intention that the Schwarzman Scholars will return home and provide leadership in a changing, complex and dynamic world. I have every confidence that this class will be such leaders.”
More than 3,000 applications were reviewed by a team of readers from around the world, with 300 semi-finalists invited for in-person interviews in Beijing, Bangkok, London or New York before international panels composed of CEOs, former heads of state, university presidents, non-profit executives, journalists and other leaders.
Professor Jenny Carroll recently told The Montgomery Advertiser the move by Mark White and his co-counsels to withdraw from Mike Hubbard’s case could delay the trial.
Carroll said there “was no evidence Hubbard is going to be left at a huge disadvantage,” due in part to the defense continuity in his case.
White, Hubbard’s lead attorney since 2013, recently filed a motion in court to leave the case. The motion did not state a reason for the withdrawal, but it was signed by Hubbard.
A grand jury indicted Hubbard in 2014 on 23 counts of using public office for private gain.
For more, read “Judge to Hear Hubbard Attorneys’ Motion to Leave Case.”
Professor Ronald Krotoszynski told The New York Times Chief Justice Roy S. Moore’s order to Alabama probate judges to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses is “an exercise in futility.”
“At best, it sows chaos and confusion; at worst, it forces couples to bring federal court litigation in order to exercise a clearly established federal constitutional right,” Krotoszynski said.
For more, read:
“Top Alabama Judge Orders Halt to Same-Sex Marriage Licenses”
“Roy Moore: No Gay Marriage in Alabama.”
“Alabama Probate Judges Should Obey U.S. Supreme Court on Gay Marriage, Federal Prosecutors Say”
“Roy Moore: the Alabama Judge Who ‘Relishes” Gay Marriage Fight”
Professor Fred Vars weighed in on President Barack Obama’s announced executive action, saying it could curb gun violence.
“I’m not going to say that’s going to happen a lot, right, that we’re really going to make a significant reduction in gun violence,” Vars said. “I don’t think that’s true. I don’t think Obama would say that’s true but again, it’s just clarifying the existing law.”
The plan is intended to expand background checks for some gun purchases and increase federal enforcement of the nation’s gun laws.
For more, watch or read “Opponents and Supporters Weigh in on Obama’s Executive Action on Gun Control.“
The University of Alabama School of Law is pleased to announce the official call for entries for the 2016 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.
The Prize, authorized by Ms. Lee, is given annually to a book-length work of fiction, published in the preceding year, that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change. Past winners include Havana Requiem by Paul Goldstein, Sycamore Row by John Grisham, and The Secret of Magic by Deborah Johnson.
The work must be:
The deadline for nominations is March 31. There is no entry fee.
The winning title will be honored at a ceremony and panel discussion, and the winner will receive a special edition of To Kill a Mockingbird, signed by Ms. Lee.
Visit HarperLeePrize.com for more information.
