News and Events Archive

Fall 2003

Winter Commencement, Dec. 20, 2003.

Tucson Young Alumni Holiday Party (Classes from 1993 - 2003 and YLD Members), 5:00 - 6:30 p.m., December 3, College of Law Lobby.

Lawyers in Arizona, Then and Now, a historical perspective on Arizona laws, lawyers, courts, and judges with an emphasis on ethical differences between then and now, a CLE presentation organized by the Friends of Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Room 140, on Friday, November 14, at 1:00 p.m. Registration begins at noon and is free for law students, provided seats are available.

Joseph Jenckes Competition

Mark Hummels and Sherry Janssen will represent the College of Law at the annual Joseph Jenckes Closing Argument Competition, scheduled for Wednesday, November 12, 2003. Posted November 10, 2003.

UA Law Grads Set High Bar for Bar Exams

Graduates of the College of Law led the state in bar exam passage by a wide margin this summer. According to results recently released by the Supreme Court of Arizona, 96% of UA's graduates passed the two-day exam last July in their first attempt. The overall pass rate for first-time takers was only 78%. Dean Massaro noted that preparation for the bar exam is primarily a graduate's responsibility. "Bar exam questions aren't something we 'teach' to. The exam is more specific to Arizona law and procedure than many law school classes, which deal with broad concepts and themes and national legal trends. To a great extent, this high pass rate reflects how hard the students worked and how motivated they were. It also says something important about their command of basic lawyering tools - which are to write well, to understand the nuances of the law, and to approach a question analytically. We stress all of these at the College." Posted Friday, October 31, 2003.

"Back to the Classroom" Continuing Legal Education Series

The annual "Back to the Classroom" CLE series will be held Saturday, November 8; registration opens at 8:30 a.m. College of Law Faculty will be teaching/moderating the following courses; the first is worth 1.5 hours of CLE Ethics credit, while the second is worth 1.5 hours of general CLE credit:

There will be a barbecue following the completion of the CLE at 12:15. Contact Donna Ream at 520-626-2400 for more information about these events. Posted Friday, Oct. 3, 2003.

Homecoming Alumni Association Awards Reception

This Reception will be held, Friday, November 7, 2 - 4 p.m., in the University of Arizona Student Union Grand Ballroom. This year's College of Law Honorees are The Honorable Raul Castro ('49), receiving a Professional Achievement Award, The Honorable Armando de Leon ('59), receiving a Public Service Award, and George Rountree, III ('60), receiving a Sydney S. Woods Alumni Service Award. Posted Friday, Oct. 3, 2003.

Arizona Supreme Court Visit to the Law School

The Arizona Supreme Court will hear Oral Arguments, in the Ares Auditorium, on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2002. Seating will be reserved seating for first-year law students and will be open to others on a first come, first served basis. The Court is hearing two cases:

• Stanley v. McCarver - whether a radiologist, to whom a person is referred, but not by a healthcare provider, who detects a medical condition for which further inquiry or treatment is appropriate, has a duty to inform that person.
• Petersen v. City of Mesa - absent a history of drug misuse, does the Arizona Constitution or the U.S. Constitution give an Arizona city the right to conduct random, suspicionless urine testing of its firefighters?

The Court will have a short question and answer period following the completion of the arguments. Posted Friday, October 31, 2003.

The Arizona Court of Appeals (Division Two) will hear oral arguments in two cases at the College of Law at 2:45 and 3:45 p.m., Oct. 23, 2003, Room 146.

Professor Jack Chin Comments on "9/11 Backlash" Trial

Phoenix jurors have the difficult task of determining whether defendant Frank Rogue was insane when he gunned down a Sikh gasoline station owner in Phoenix, just four days after the September 11th attacks. They have a wealth of psychiatric evidence to sift through in order to decide. In the September 29 edition of The Arizona Republic, criminal law Professor Jack Chin commented on jury perceptions of expert testimony on insanity issues. Jurors often think "you can find an expert to say almost anything. I think its a reasonably correct perception," the Republic quotes Chin, "you can find somebody if the price is right." The article, which gives a more detailed account of the high profile trial, can be found at: www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0929insane29.html. Posted Thursday, Oct. 2, 2003.

Class of 1978 Reunion, at the home of B. Kirschner, October 11, 3 - 6 p.m.

McCormick Lecture, Mr David Brooks, Senior Editor, The Weekly Standard, and regular political analyst on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, 10 a.m., October 8, Room 146; reception to follow in the courtyard. Topic: "The Geography of American Politics."

Class of 1993 Reunion, Hacienda del Sol, 6 p.m., October 4, 2003.

College of Law Ranked #5 for Hispanic Students

Hispanic Business magazine has named the James E. Rogers College of Law as the fifth best law program in the country for Hispanic students. In its September 2003 edition, devoted to higher education and diversity issues, the magazine lauded the College's affordable tuition structure, strong scholarship program, and student support services as being "particularly attractive to first-generation lawyers." Additional factors, such as the Gonzales-Villareal Bridge Pre-Entry Program, a wealth of faculty and university resources, and a growing national reputation for academic excellence further distinguished the College. The Top 25 Law Schools for Hispanics Report can be viewed in its entirety at www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=12276. Posted Thursday, September 11, 2003. See the Press Release for more information. Updated Friday, September 19, 2003.

Supreme Court Highlights 2003 CLE

On Wednesday, October 1, 2003, faculty and distinguished jurists will discuss high profile issues from the 2002 Supreme Court term , including affirmative action in higher education, same-sex sodomy laws, freedom of expression, federalism, and IOLTA. Speakers include the Honorable Mary M. Schroeder and the Honorable Michael Hawkins, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Dean Toni Massaro, Professors Ana Merico-Stephens and Robert Glennon, and Stanley Feldman, former Justice of the Arizona State Supreme Court. The CLE begins at 3:00 p.m. and will be followed by a reception sponsored by the American Constitution Society Student Organization in the Snell & Wilmer Courtyard. For more information, including fees, please call (520) 626-2400. Posted Wednesday, September 3, 2003.

Thomas A. Zlaket Professionalism in Teaching Endowment Celebration, College of Law Lobby, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m., September 18, 2003.

Prof. Boris Kozolchyk, Evo DeConcini Professor of Law and Director of National Law Center, will receive this year's Partners for Democracy Award from the America-Israel Friendship League. The League will present the award at its annual dinner on September 14. For more information, call 322-9544. Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2003.

ACLU Chapters Sponsor Forum on the USA PATRIOT Act. On Saturday, September 13, the Southern and University of Arizona Law School Chapters of the ACLU will present a forum entitled The USA PATRIOT Act: Its Effect on Various Populations in Arizona. Panelists include Congressman Raul Grijalva, Pamela Treadwell-Rubin, President of the Arizona State Bar, and Steve Leal, Tucson City Councilman. The forum, monitored by Prof. Jean Braucher, begins at 10:00 a.m. in the Ares Auditorium, Room 146. Posted Tuesday, September 9, 2003.

SBA All College Picnic, Reid Park, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., Sept. 5, 2003.

"Get Attired Professionally" (GAP) Event, Room 106, 11:30 - 1:30 p.m., 27 Aug. 2003.

First Day of Class, Aug. 18, 2003.

First Year Orientation begins, Aug. 13 - 15, 2003.

Jack Chin Joins College of Law Faculty

Professor Gabriel J. (Jack) Chin has recently joined the faculty of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Chin is nationally known in the areas of criminal law and criminal procedure, constitutional law, immigration law, and civil rights and racial equality issues. He most recently taught at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he engaged law students in hands-on activities such as persuading Ohio to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, and other states to repeal Jim Crow laws still on the books. Recognized as an expert in civil rights history, Chin has documented significant controversies in immigration and civil rights of Asian-Americans, such as internment camps and anti-miscegenation laws. Chin will teach courses in Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Appellate Advocacy, Accuracy in the Criminal Justice System, and Race and Law. Posted Friday, July 25, 2003. Read more about Prof. Chin by viewing his faculty profile and the press release.

Professor Robert Glennon Receives Second NSF Grant

Law Professor Robert Glennon is one of 3 research team members awarded $385,000 to analyze water policy decisions made in the western states over the last 25 years. The grant, from the National Science Foundation, was announced last week. Glennon, who is nationally-known for his work in water law and policy, will join Gary Libecap, Director of the Eller Center, and Alan Ker of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics as principal investigators in the cross-disciplinary project. Under the two-year grant, the team will study how water transfers are made in 12 western states and how economic, legal, and political issues factor into those decisions. Water transfers reallocate water used for one purpose to another, such as the diversion of water from farm fields to cities. Glennon is widely known for his writing on water and other environmental issues. His recent book, Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters, has received acclaim among both legal and mainstream audiences. The NSF study, “Transaction Costs and Institutional Change: An Analysis of Western Water Law Regarding Transfers from Agriculture to Urban and Environmental Uses,” is Glennon’s second NSF grant award. Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2003. See the press release for more details.

Content updated 2 March 2004 by Leah Sandwell-Weiss .