Feature News
Hamline Journal of Public Law & Policy Symposium Offers Sobering Look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
March 14 was a day packed full of riveting speakers from around the world on topics of vital importance at the Hamline Journal of Public Law & Policy Symposium, "The 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A Reality Check." The symposium began the evening before with dinner and a keynote address by Dr. Johannes Van Aggelen, senior officer of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. He discussed the Implementation of Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN Conferences in the 1990s, which he said needs the political will of governments in order to be achieved. "This is all the more challenging as 9/11 and its aftermath seems to have partly undone what the UN conferences projects," he said.
Two of the sessions have recorded audio available for download and listening:
International Civil Service: Ethics and Self-Care and Correspondence Between the Evolution of Humans and the Progress of Human Rights
Family Law Topics Explored at Hamline’s March CLE Luncheon
Susan Rhode '85 provided an insider's perspective on today's key family law issues at the March CLE luncheon. A shareholder and board member at Moss & Barnett, Rhode is renowned for her extensive experience and high ethical standards as a family law attorney. At the March 18 CLE program, she gave practical insights as to the trends in court mandated mediation and alternative dispute resolution methods as well as an overview of jurisdicational splits as to the apporach to the resolution of family law matters.
Rhode has been listed among the Best Lawyers in America and repeatedly named a Super Lawyer due to her exemplary work in representing families who have marital, divorce and other family issues. She is a past president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Minnesota chapter.
NALSA Event Explored Race, Genetics, Indian Identity & the Law
More than 100 people attended the recent symposium sponsored by the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA), which explored what role race and genetics should play in defining "Indianness." Speakers included Hamline Associate Professor Jonathan Kahn, who provided an overview of the diverse area where race, genetics and law intersect; Kimberly TallBear, a postdoctoral fellow from the University of California, Berkeley, who gave an overview of the basic science behind ancestry DNA testing; John Borrows, visiting professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and Professor Law, University of Victoria, Canada, who discussed the legal and political ramifications surrounding a designation of "indianness," along with tribal approaches to defining "race" in the United States, Canada and New Zealand; and John Jacobson, an attorney with Jacobson Buffalo, who provided a practitioner's perspective on tribal litigation and the controversial Lucy Allen v. Cherokee Nation case.
Hamline NALSA President Jody TallBear (top) introduced the speakers including: Associate Professor Jonathan Kahn (center), Kimberly TallBear (center), Professor John Borrows, and John Jacobson (bottom).
Conservative Activist Phyllis Schlafly Debates Professor David Cobin
Hamline's Federalist Society chapter invited conservative activist and Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly to campus in March for a debate with Hamline Professor David Cobin on the rightful roles of the U.S. Congress and state and federal courts to decide key social issues. Schlafly said that since a "majority of Americans" didn't agree with decisions made by the courts, it was the constitutional right of the Congress to take those issues away from the realm of the judiciary. She cited cases involving the Boy Scouts, declarations of the Ten Commandments in public locations and prayer in school. Professor Cobin disagreed with Schlafly's interpretation of "majority" and said he believed the principles of tolerance and diversity were important aspects of democracy.Donald Lewis Named New Dean at Hamline University School of Law
Donald Lewis, co-founder of Halleland, Lewis, Nilan & Johnson, will become Hamline's new Law Dean on July 1, 2008. He will succeed Dean Jon Garon who plans to return to the Hamline Law faculty after a one-year sabbatical. Lewis has been an adjunct faculty at Hamline since 2004 and previously taught at William Mitchell College of Law. He works primarily in commercial litigation, and labor and employment law. Previously he served six years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Minnesota and was a trial attorney in the U.S. Justice Department. Lewis also was an attorney at Popham Haik. He holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. "Don Lewis has a wealth of experience in the legal community and has distinguished himself as an educator, a champion of diversity and a focused visionary," noted Hamline University President Linda Hanson.
Lewis recently was quoted in a Minnesota Lawyer story about his new position, "I want to continue the law school's progress on those quality measures that make a difference in the external community. And not just things like the U.S. News and World Report rankings, but also our own legal and business communities, the places that hire our graduates."
