Senate approves UI law grads as U.S. Attorneys in Iowa
The United States Senate has approved two University of Iowa College of Law graduates to serve as Iowa’s U.S. attorneys, making them the two top federal prosecutors in the state.
Stephanie Rose, a 1996 law graduate, was approved as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, based in Des Moines. Nicholas Klinefeldt, a 2000 law grad, is the new U.S. Attorney for the Northern District, based in Sioux City.
Klinefeldt and Rose will be responsible for leading the prosecution of all federal cases in the state of Iowa.
Klinefeldt also received his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 1996.
Prof. Kurtz Comments on Uniform Bar Exam (USA Today, Nov. 23)
A movement to adopt a uniform bar exam that would make aspiring lawyers’ scores portable from state to state and possibly save consumers money is gaining traction in several states but encountering opposition from others. SHELDON KURTZ, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law, says the time has come for a uniform exam. “There are general principles of law every applicant needs to know, and it doesn’t matter if it’s Iowa or Delaware,” Kurtz said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-11-22-bar-exam_N.htm
Culver commends UI Center for Human Rights
Gov. Chet Culver recently commended the UI Center for Human Rights for 10 years of “engag[ing] the university’s diverse community and the broader public in considering the profound dimensions of human rights in our lives.”
Culver commends Boyd, Koontz for nonprofit center work
Gov. Chet Culver recently commended Sandy Boyd, Richard Koontz and the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center (INRC) for 10 years of strengthening the state’s nonprofit organizations.
Boyd, a UI law professor and president emeritus, founded the INRC in 2000 as a consulting firm of sorts, helping Iowa nonprofit groups with legal and management efficiency issues. Since then, the INRC has helped thousands of Iowa nonprofits through workshops held around the state and by working with the Secretary of State’s office to produce the Iowa Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence. Boyd served as the center’s director until 2007, when Koontz became director.
Culver’s commendation was delivered by Lt. Gov. Patty Judge at the Iowa Nonprofit Summit Nov. 16 in Des Moines, which was organized by the INRC.
Prof. Bezanson Explains Why Newspapers are calling Maj. Nidal Hasan the “Alleged” Fort Hood Shooter (Slate.com)
Prof. Bezanson Explains Why Newspapers are calling Maj. Nidal Hasan the “Alleged” Fort Hood Shooter (Slate.com), http://www.slate.com/id/2235470/
Prof. Hovenkamp comments on Intel settlement (New York Times, Nov. 12)
The giant chip maker Intel, facing antitrust challenges around the world, announced on Thursday that it would pay $1.25 billion to settle its long-running disputes with its smaller rival, Advanced Micro Devices. Legal experts say the agreement solves some of the antitrust issues surrounding Intel and could dissuade other government agencies from bringing cases against the company. The Federal Trade Commission, for example, has been investigating the big chip maker for the past year but has taken no action. “This private settlement has probably taken a lot of wind out of the sails” of the FTC’s case, said HERBERT HOVENKAMP, an antitrust expert and law professor at the University of Iowa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/technology/companies/13chip.html
UI law graduate finds job in sluggish economy (Wilmington Star News, Nov. 13)
When Kristen Formanek graduated from the UNIVERSITY OF IOWA’S COLLEGE OF LAW in May, she wondered if she would find a job in her field. Formanek started working as a prosecutor in the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office a month ago handling misdemeanor cases. While Formanek nabbed a job, other aspiring attorneys aren’t as lucky in this sluggish economy. The newspaper is based in North Carolina.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091113/articles/911139955
Skylark Project on Iowa Public Radio
Some inmates at the Iowa Women’s Prison at Mitchelville didn’t receive fair sentences because they were in abusive relationships. That’s according to domestic violence advocates. In a program called Project Skylark, they are trying to reduce the prison terms of women who commited crimes in cooperation with abusive partners. And the judicial system is taking a new look at the so-called “girlfriend crimes.”
Story Link: http://iowapublicradio.org/pmm-cms/NewsCMS/news/single_story.php?storyid=385
Prof. Pettys Discusses Evidence Fabrication in Time Magazine
In July 1977, retired police captain John Schweer was shot and killed while working as a night watchman at an Oldsmobile dealership in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Two teenagers, Curtis McGhee and Terry Harrington, were convicted of the murder based on evidence they allege was knowingly fabricated by prosecutors. “Usually when there’s a case of fabricating evidence, it’s done by the police officers because they’re the ones investigating the crime. Like with Mark Furman allegedly planting a bloody glove on OJ Simpson’s property,” explains TODD PETTYS, a law professor at University of Iowa.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1934836,00.html
Prof. Osiel Writes About Atrocities, says Karadzic Trial Can Continue
A war crimes expert in the University of Iowa College of Law and author of a new book on mass atrocities says the trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic can continue, even though the defendant is boycotting the proceedings.
http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2009/november/110309lawprofessorKaradzic.html