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HLS News November 2005

Op-ed co-written by student Rebecca Hamilton: Darfur needs follow-through
Fourteen months ago, President Bush used the word "genocide" to describe the slaughter in Darfur. In the ensuing year, the United States took no action as countless women were raped and hundreds of thousands of civilians died at the hands of the government of Sudan. But this month, fragments of a more active relationship with Sudan are taking shape, begging a new question: Is our complacency turning into complicity?
Harvard Law School launches new center to investigate intersections of health, technology and law
The nation's oldest law school is expanding into cutting-edge legal territory with today's launch of the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics. The new Harvard Law School program is the result of extensive academic planning and a $10 million gift from the Caroll and Milton Petrie Foundation and HLS graduate Joseph H. Flom.
HLS student teams up with former college president in new book
While most undergraduates spend college learning from teachers, Martin Kurzweil '07 spent much of his time in college practicing how to be one. During his undergraduate years at Harvard, Kurzweil spent up to four days a week tutoring students at area middle schools.
The Professional: A conversation with Professor Wilkins
Professor David Wilkins directs the Program on the Legal Profession and its affiliate, the Center on Lawyers and the Professional Services Industry, at HLS. Here he discusses recent trends and pressures in the profession with staff writer Mary Bridges.
Webcast: Ames Moot Court Finals
On Thursday, November 17, two teams of HLS students presented oral arguments in the final round of the Ames Moot Court competition before three judges: Supreme Court Justice David Souter, Emilio Garza of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and Ilana Diamond Rovner of the Seventh Circuit. The case they argued, McNeil v. Lu, centered on the constitutionality of a curfew law for minors.
Bebchuk delivers lecture at Yale on the 'myth' of shareholder power
Professor Lucian Bebchuk, director of the HLS Program on Corporate Governance, recently delivered the John R. Raben Fellowship Lecture at Yale University. The lecture was based on a working paper titled "The Myth of the Shareholder Franchise," in which Bebchuk argues that shareholders rarely, if ever, successfully vote to replace the board of a public company.
An op-ed by Professor Gerken: Citizens Must Drive Electoral Reform
In his column on the failure of redistricting initiatives to pass in Ohio and California last week, Stuart Rothenberg gets the diagnosis right ("On Redistricting, Voters Have Spoken Up for the Status Quo," Nov. 10). But, like most U.S. reformers, he overlooks a promising cure for the problem he identifies - one that could help reformers overcome the hurdles they face in getting reform through the initiative process.
HLS students win northeast negotiation championship
Amar Mehta and Sabastian Niles, both third-year law students, won the American Bar Association Northeast Regional Negotiation Championship. Coached by Robert C. Bordone, the Thaddeus R. Beal Lecturer on Law at the Law School, Amar and Sabastian bested teams from 20 other law schools to win first place.
Conference probes Nuremberg's legacy for law and education
The International Military Tribunals at Nuremberg are widely regarded to have changed the course of history. The legacy of the trials for courts, social institutions and broader society was the focus of the two-day conference, "Pursuing Human Dignity: The Legacies of Nuremberg for International Law, Human Rights, and Education."
Webcast: Dean's Forum on executive power and the war on terrorism
On Wednesday, November 9, a panel of experts tackled the subject of executive power and the war on terrorism as part of Harvard Law School's latest Dean's Forum event moderated by Dean Elena Kagan.
Op-ed by Professor Manning: Balancing Act
Some Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have argued that Judge Samuel A. Alito's nomination to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor merits more thorough scrutiny, if not outright rejection, because it would disturb the "balance of the court." Whether Judge Alito will in fact shift the Supreme Court to the right on any matter is unknowable.
Glendon to be honored at White House ceremony
Professor Mary Ann Glendon has been named a recipient of the National Humanities Medal. She will be presented with the award tomorrow at an Oval Office ceremony with President Bush. Glendon is among a small number of Americans to receive the humanities medal this year, which was revealed yesterday in conjunction with the announcement of the National Medal of Arts recipients.
HLS Fellow wins distinguished peace advocate award
Betty Murungi, a fellow at the HLS Human Rights Program and an advocate for human rights in Africa, has been named this year's International Advocate for Peace by the Cardozo School of Law. The award honors contributions to justice, peace and conflict resolution. Previous recipients include former President Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
Op-ed by Laurence Tribe: Alito's world
The following op-ed by Professor Laurence Tribe, Alito's world, appeared in The Boston Globe on November 7, 2005: You can't help doing a double-take when you read Judge Samuel Alito's opinion holding Congress powerless to compel states to provide family medical leave to their employees.
Op-ed by Professor Minow: The lessons of Nuremberg
Professor Martha Minow writes: The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg opened its doors 60 years ago this month. No one then imagined that the use of criminal trials to respond to mass atrocity would become a familiar and even expected feature of international relations.
Panel debates whether directors of companies should be personally liable
On Friday, Novemeber 4, The Program on Corporate Governance at HLS will host a panel discussion to debate personal liability for corporate directors. This question became a central one in the recent WorldCom and Enron cases, in which directors paid settlement fees out of their own pockets. Panelists will consider whether personal liability makes directors accountable, or whether it could deter directors from serving and make serving directors excessively defensive.