August 2011

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  Fried in Scotus Blog: ‘The constitutional arguments against the healthcare mandate are utterly without merit’

  On August 1st, Scotus Blog published an op-ed by Beneficial Professor of Law Charles Fried on the constitutionality of the healthcare mandate. In the piece, Fried argues that the attack against President Obama’s Affordable Care Act is pure politics and ignores established legal principles.

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  Matan Koch ’05 nominated to National Council on Disability

  Matan Koch ’05, an associate at Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, was nominated by President Barack Obama ’91 to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability.

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  Harvard celebrates a new record: 50 LEED-certified projects, including HLS’s Griswold Hall

  The U.S. Green Building Council (UGBC) and Harvard University announced Aug. 1 that Harvard has become the first higher education institution to complete 50 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications for construction projects around campus. One of those certifications was earned by renovations at Harvard Law School’s Griswold Hall, which in 2009 was awarded the highest rating of LEED-CI Platinum.

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  Eleven from HLS named to inaugural Fastcase 50 list

  In July, Fastcase, a legal research service that provides a comprehensive online national law library, honored 50 leaders in the world of law, scholarship, and legal technology. From lawyers and judges to librarians and government servants, the inaugural list recognized the law’s “smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders.”

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  Glendon to advise Romney in his bid for the White House

  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney ’75 recently announced that his Justice Advisory Committee will be co-chaired by HLS Professor Mary Ann Glendon along with Robert Bork and Richard Wiley. Leading a committee of 63 other lawyers, including HLS Professor Allen Ferrell ’95, they will advise Romney’s campaign on constitutional and judicial matters, homeland security, law enforcement, and regulatory issues.

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  Roe in Project Syndicate: America’s first debt crisis

  In an August 8 op-ed written for Project Syndicate, HLS Professor Mark Roe looks at the current U.S. debt crisis through the lens of what he calls ‘America’s first debt crisis:’ the one following the Revolutionary War.

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  Committee co-chaired by Bebchuk submits SEC rulemaking petition on political spending

  The Committee on Disclosure of Corporate Political Spending, co-chaired by Harvard Law School Professor Lucian A. Bebchuk LL.M. ’80 S.J.D. ’84 and Robert J. Jackson, Jr. ’05, associate professor at Columbia Law School, submitted a rulemaking petition to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The petition urges the commission to develop rules to require public companies to disclose to shareholders the use of corporate resources for political activities.

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  Feldman in Bloomberg View: Debt-deal disaster shows genius of U.S. democracy

  In his August 7 op-ed, the latest in a series for Bloomberg View, HLS Professor Noah Feldman discusses the perception of U.S. democracy in light of the government’s recent debt crisis.

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  HLAB Wins Major Victory for Homeowners in Massachusetts High Court

  In the latest victory for the HLS Clinical Programs’ anti-foreclosure work, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Aug. 4 against lenders in a case argued by Harvard Legal Aid Bureau student Jennifer Tarr ’11.

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  In the New Republic: Vermeule reviews "Machiavellian Democracy"

  In a recent review in the New Republic, HLS Professor Adrian Vermeule ’93 examines the book “Machiavellian Democracy” (Cambridge University Press, 2011) by John P. McCormick.

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  ABA passes resolution urging tougher lobbying rules based on recommendations from Professor Fried and co-chairs

  The American Bar Association’s House of Delegates passed a resolution on Tuesday, Aug. 9,urging Congress to amend and strengthen federal lobbying rules. HLS Professor Charles Fried co-chaired the bi-partisan ABA Administrative Law Section task force, which proposed the recommendations in its January 2011 report.

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  Randall Kennedy on The Takeaway: on ‘The Persistence of the Color Line’ (Audio)

  Harvard Law School Professor Randall Kennedy recently appeared on the radio program “The Takeaway” to discuss his new book “The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency” (Pantheon Books).

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  Lazarus honored with ABA Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy

  In August, Professor Richard Lazarus ’79 was honored at the ABA annual meeting in Toronto with the association’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy. The award was given to Lazarus for his significant leadership in improving environmental protection and sustainable development.

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  In interview, Minow discusses legal education and Legal Services Corporation

  In a recent interview for the Spindle Law Blog, Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow discussed her experience teaching, her work with the Legal Services Corporation, and the future of legal education.

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  Docherty in Australia's National Times: Cluster bombs bill is a law of loopholes

  In an Aug. 17 opinion piece in Australia’s National Times, Senior Clinical Instructor Bonnie Docherty '01 urged the Australian Senate to push back against proposed implementation legislation that would blunt the impact of the international ban on cluster munitions. 

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  Bernard Wolfman, 1924 – 2011: Magnificent teacher, beloved mentor and renowned scholar

  Bernard Wolfman, a renowned scholar of tax law and the Fessenden Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School, died on August 20, 2011. One of the preeminent tax professors in the United States, Wolfman clarified the world of tax law for generations of lawyers through his teaching and scholarship. He was also a leading expert in the ethics and rules of professional responsibility for lawyers.

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  Fried seeks answers from Republican leaders

  In a recent op-ed for the Boston Globe, Professor Charles Fried, a life-long Republican, writes that before he can give Senator Scott Brown his support in the next election, Fried needs to know what kind of Republican Brown is. 

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  Conversation with Associate Justice Elena Kagan (video)

  In an Aug. 2 interview at the Aspen Institute, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan ‘86 spoke about life as a Supreme Court justice, cameras in the courtroom, and interpreting the law. She was interviewed by Elliot Gerson, a former law clerk to former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.

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  Lawyers Weekly to honor Harvard alumnae

  Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has chosen six Harvard Law School alumnae to be honored as “Top Women of Law” this September in Boston.  The award seeks to highlight the work of women who are trailblazers, educators and role models in their fields and who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in social justice, advocacy and business.

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  HLS Clinic Files UN Complaint on Behalf of Filipina-American Tortured in the Philippines

  With the help of Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic, Filipina-American Melissa Roxas has filed a submission with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture seeking justice for the abduction and torture she suffered in the Philippines in 2009.   

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  In Ahram Online: Mallat addresses violence in Libyan uprising

  HLS Visiting Professor Chibli Mallat recently published an op-ed in the Egyptian newspaper Ahram Online entitled “Libya’s Revolution: a troubling legacy of violence.”