Justice Janie Shores, celebrated alumna of the Law School, has passed away at the age of 85.
She grew up in Baldwin County, took her bachelor’s degree from Samford University, and earned her law degree from Alabama Law in 1959.
Her notes and outlines at the School of Law were legendary; for years after she graduated, countless students insisted that they succeeded in law school only because they relied on Janie Shores’s notes.
After teaching law at Cumberland, she ran successfully for a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court, the first woman to serve as Justice on that court. She served on the court for 25 years.
In 2015, she was the recipient of the Sam W. Pipes Award, which is given to an outstanding alum of the Law School for distinguished service to the Bar, the University of Alabama, and the School of Law. Justice Shores was personally courageous, politically engaged, and irrepressibly honest.
A memorial service will be held in Birmingham at a date that has yet to be decided.
For more, read “Alabama State Bar President Issues Statement on Death of Justice Janie L. Shores.”
The University of Alabama School of Law announces the hiring of six new faculty members: Professors Yonathan Arbel, Alfred Brophy, Courtney Cross, Allyson Gold, Shalini Ray, and Philip Reich.
Professor Arbel is an expert on the enforcement of contracts and commercial obligations. His work covers not only contracts, but also commercial law, torts, and consumer law. Professor Arbel received his S.J.D. degree in law and economics from Harvard Law School, J.S.M. in law and society from Stanford Law School, and LL.B. in law and humanities, summa cum laude, from the Hebrew University.
Professor Brophy is the D. Paul Jones, Jr. & Charlene Jones Chairholder of Law. He teaches in the fields of property, trusts and estates, remedies, and legal history. He received his A.B., summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, J.D. from Columbia University, and Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Professor Cross is the Director of the Domestic Violence Clinic. Her research explores the intersections of domestic violence, criminal law, and poverty. Professor Cross received an LL.M. with honors from Georgetown University Law Center, a J.D. from NYU School of Law, and a B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of California, San Diego.
Professor Gold is the Director of the Elder Law Clinic. Her research examines the effect of property law on the achievement of health equity and social justice. Professor Gold earned her J.D., with Honors, from Emory University School of Law and a B.A., with High Distinction, from the University of Virginia.
Professor Ray will teach Legal Profession, Legislation/Regulation, and an immigration law seminar during the 2017-18 year. She conducts research in the areas of immigration, administrative, and international law. Professor Ray earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Stanford University.
Judge Reich teaches a course entitled ” The Business of Being a Lawyer” at the University of Alabama School of Law and a legal studies course in the University of Alabama Honors College. He is a retired Circuit Judge for the State of Alabama, former Deputy General Counsel for the University of Alabama System, and serves as a mediator. Professor Reich received his B.S. and J.D. from the University of Alabama.
Purple Heart recipients will soon have premium parking privileges at The University of Alabama.
On Aug. 9 at 11 a.m., UA will unveil a parking space in the Ferguson Center lot designated for veterans who have received the Purple Heart, an award given to men or women who have either been wounded or killed in combat.
Alabama Law student Steven Arango is a second lieutenant in the Marines and is on reserve status while he attends school. The Clearwater, Florida, native was commissioned in August 2016 and is a president of the UA Military Law Society, which proposed to Chris D’Esposito, director, UA Transportation Services, the idea of honoring Purple Heart veterans. Arango’s step-brother, Flynn Bluett, helped create the design for this parking space.
“My grandfather, who was a sniper in the Marine Corps, was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded in the Marshall Islands during World War II,” Arango said. “This is something that’s been on my heart. I’ve seen similar parking spaces at Home Depot, and anytime we can do something on campus to honor our veterans, I’m all for it.”
The asphalt of the parking space will be marked with the Purple Heart logo, and a post that includes the logo will mark the front of the space.
The ceremony will be held in the lot along Campus Drive, west of the Ferguson Center. Members of UA’s veteran’s community will speak during the ceremony, including retired Air Force Col. and Purple Heart recipient Duane Lamb, assistant vice president for facilities and grounds and commander of the Purple Heart chapter in Tuscaloosa.
“The Office of Veteran and Military Affairs is honored to be a part of this project,” said David Blair, director of that UA office.
“Honoring veterans in this way shows the commitment and dedication UA has for taking care of these students,” Blair said. “This is just one more reason UA continues to be recognized as a Top Military and Veteran friendly university. Currently we serve just over 4,000 veterans, service members, and dependents. The financial impact these students have at UA and in the local community annually is well over $40 million.”
UA has two registered Purple Heart recipients in its student body and is a Purple Heart University, a designation given to universities that recognize veterans wounded in combat. UA’s Purple Heart recipients will register with Veteran and Military Affairs and receive a Purple Heart hang-tag that will allow them to use the designated space and also park in any spot or zone on campus, except for handicapped spaces.
Dean Mark E. Brandon applauded the Class of 2020 for being “a distinguished group by any proper measure” during First-Year Orientation.
The class has 126 students and was drawn from a pool of more than 1,500 applicants. Forty-five percent of the class members are women, and 19 percent identify as members of a racial or ethnic minority. The members of the Class of 2020 have lived, worked or studied in 34 countries outside of the United States – in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Africa, South America and Central America.
“As dean of The University of Alabama School of Law, I’m pleased and honored to welcome you – the Class of 2020 – and to welcome, also, our transfer students, our visiting and exchange students, and our international LL.M. students. You – each and all of you – are valued members of our community,” Brandon said.
Brandon offered advice in four areas he wished he had known when he started law school more than 40 years ago.
First, he encouraged law students to educate themselves broadly and deeply and take on courses in all the basic fields of law, including challenging courses and those in fields they might not expect to like.
“You’ll gain a thicker sense of law as a complex, living institution,” he said. “And if you can develop a sense of the whole, you’ll also acquire a more sophisticated sense of the parts.”
Second, he noted that law consists of rules, but it doesn’t consist only of rules.
“What you’ll learn is that the rules are knit together with other stuff,” he said. “They’re knit together with principles, with considerations of policy and social advantage, and with values.”
Third, he urged them to take care of themselves.
“Eat well. Rest. Exercise. If you have an exercise routine, keep it. If you don’t have one, get one.”
Finally, Brandon advised the members of the Class of 2020 to leave a mark on law school, society and the law.
“In your studies here – and in your professional lives — leave a trace. And make it a trace you’ll be proud you left,” he said. “Make your mark: on the School of Law; on your community, nation, and world through law; on the law itself. Make them better than you found them.”
Professor Ronald Krotoszynski discusses with WWL host Tommy Tucker whether a government employee could refuse to carry out an order or command that may be unconstitutional.
For more, listen to “Could a Government Employee Refuse an Order that May Be Unconstitutional?”
Professor William Andreen’s research about the Clean Water Rule is cited in Field & Stream.
For more, read “13 Facts about the Clean Water Rule All Sportsmen Should Know.“
Professor Fred Vars is the co-author of a report for The Brookings Institution that shows how a “no guns” registry could help save lives.
For more, read “How a “No-guns” Registry Could Help Prevent Firearm-Related Suicides.”
Joyce Vance, UA Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in Law, is quoted in a CNN story about President Donald Trump’s rare meeting with a U.S. Attorney nominee.
For more, read “President Has Rare Meeting with U.S. Attorney Nominee.”
Professor Julie Hill is quoted in The Los Angeles Times about guidelines for financial institutions that want to work with marijuana companies.
For more, read “Why Some Pot Businesses Hide Their Cash — and Others Truck it Straight to a Federal Vault.”
Professor Dan Joyner discusses with The New York Times whether the U.S. is complying with the Iran nuclear deal. Joyner’s comments come after the 2 minute mark.
For more, watch “Iran Says U.S. Is Not Complying with the Nuclear Deal.”
