University of Chicago Law School Chicago Unbound The nivU ersity of Chicago Law School Record Law School Publications Spring 3-1-2004 Law School Record, vol. 50, no. 2 (Spring 2004) Law School Record Editors Follow this and additional works at: http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/lawschoolrecord Recommended Citation Law School Record Editors, "Law School Record, vol. 50, no. 2 (Spring 2004)" (2004). The University of Chicago Law School Record. Book 90. http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/lawschoolrecord/90 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Publications at Chicago Unbound. It has been accepted for inclusion in The University of Chicago Law School Record by an authorized administrator of Chicago Unbound. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CON TEN T 5 SPRING 2004 All Too Human The Chicago Judges Project, the inaugural Chicago Policy Initiative, has released its and Lisa '04 first set of findings. Dean Levmore, Professor Cass Sunstein, Ellman, explain how appellate judges' findings appear to be influenced, and how the Policy ideas. Initiatives will bring to the world the power of the Law School's 6 Building the Rule of Law The fall of the Soviet Union didn't immediately deliver on its promise of freedom and justice for the former Soviet bloc. A surprising number of Law School alumni are a rule-of-law struggling there to create the infrastructure and mindset that underlay regime, something that most Central European and Eurasian nations have never known. 14 Student Life Students find that their study of the law takes them places they would never have expected. These student-written articles highlight the Greenberg Seminars, informal and a discussion groups which meet in professors' living rooms, Streetlaw, program that finds law students in high school classrooms teaching some of the same cases they have trained with. 2 Message from the Dean 18 Alumni News Steve Lipscomb, '88 Diana Eagon, '60 Truman Gibson, '35 Robin Steans, '92 Steven Krone, '92 Heidi Rummel, '93 23 Alumni In Memoriam 27 Alumni Class Notes Message fro m the o ea n I wish you could all have been at the tribute we held in memory Another event of recent note was our Admitted Students of Norval Morris at the end of March. The weather was mild Weekend, held at the start of April, and now a fixture in law (although the fountain, as is not uncommon on windy days, schools' admissions cycles. One hundred and fifty admitted gave a few of our guests a refreshing shower), and the Law students arrived and met one another, though many had earlier School was nicely decorated in preparation for the event. The encounters at other schools' competing programs. They Green Lounge-busy these days as our auditorium pavilion attended a town hall meeting with the dean (Why is Chicago undergoes reconstruction-was filled with Norval's family, different? Is it more conservative than other schools? Convince many friends, and admirers sharing stories and remembrances us to come here in ten minutes); watched and laughed at a of an important life and body of trivia contest, where the faculty always seems to lose by two work. The speakers shared warm, points and where some students seem to know everything, funny, and meaningful stories or at least everything about popular culture; attended a faculty about their mentor, friend, teacher, panel and a student panel; participated in real classes and then in and inspiration. When we heard a mock class with Socratic dialogue; breakfasted with Professor that Norval often slept in the Emily Buss; and mingled at a downtown gathering spot. maximum security prisons he By Saturday afternoon I was reasonably sure that we had visited and monitored (in order to provided an excellent, if exhausting, experience and that a better understand them), our very large percentage of these admitted applicants would attention was focused on what it come our way. Success should be measured not in terms of was that made Norval not only a high yield, or high yield alone. It is instead a question of significant scholar and teacher, but also a successful reformer. whether we did a good job describing our unique character While the tribute honored our friend and colleague, it also and values, and in turn attracting those students who will served as a reminder of the importance of community. It thrive here. I will let you know in due course. But judging by made me think hard about the wonderful community we the questions we were asked over the weekend about our have at the Law School. While we can not all be so lucky to clinical programs, the seriousness with which we take the live in Kenwood next door to the Neals and Meltzers, all of classroom experience, and our new Hormel Public Interest us, here at the Law School and wherever our graduates go, Program, I think that Norval Morris would have been proud of can engage with our students, associates, partners, and all that will follow him at this great place. clinical colleagues more than we do and to good effect. Norval stopped to smell the roses, and did so in a way that enriched those around him. I am committed to finding ways to strengthen the Law School community even further. Our new seminars and programs and attention to student life are first steps. Our investment in the revitalization of our building is another; we are constructing attractive spaces that will in turn encourage student-student and student-faculty engagement. Similarly, our Chicago Policy Initiatives, a new set of programs you can read about in the pages of this Record, will build upon our already enviable record of fostering collaboration between our students and faculty. Going forward, I will continue to try to find ways to make sure that our extended family of alumni and friends are included in the life of the Law School; I welcome your suggestions on how to best accomplish this. 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL. SPRING 2004 ALL TOO HUMAN The Chicago Judges Project The Chicago Judges finds that judges work in a year, in such areas as Project-a comprehensive health care, immigration, and child welfare. We will commit to survey of the voting patterns of surpnsmg ways federal judges-recently compiled an developing a new approach or proposed a At the end of that time we initial set of findings. The project is the first of a planned solution in two-year period. series of Chicago Policy Initiatives, research efforts led will offer a plan, or a suggestion for experimentation. Chicago's by Law School faculty, supported by student research ideas will in this way be applied to important problems assistants, and dedicated to finding practical solutions to and broadcast to the nation and to relevant policyrnakers, difficult social problems. Three of the key players behind Lisa Ellman: I'm interested in making the law work better. the Judges Project spoke recently about their work. Saul Professor Sunstein's research really works toward that, as he Levmore is Dean of the Law School and William B. Graham works at the intersection of law and policy. The Judges an wrote with him and Professor of Law. Lisa Ellman, the project coordinator, is Project grew in part out of article I Professor David Schkade at the of Texas a law student in her third year of a joint ].D.lM.P.P. University [who will be here next a mini-course in Statistics and program with the Harris School of Public Policy Studies. year teaching Cass Sunstein, the principal investigator in the Judges Law]. Professor Sunstein had hired me as a research assistant. Project, is the Karl N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service We studied judges and how they voted in environmental Professor in the Law School. Their comments have been cases. The article that came out of our work reported on our it serves as a for assembled into a loose conversation. findings, and preliminary investigation Saul Levmore: The idea behind the Chicago Policy the Judges Project. Now we've got a larger group of students cases in a of areas of law in Initiatives is that we have assembled here in and around this looking into relevant variety smart to assess the of one Law School a significant number ofvery people­ order voting patterns judges. The fits into work students, faculty, and alumni. And while many are known for Cass Sunstein: project my ongoing on and deliberation. Last I a theoretical work, they actually have very practical ideas. The democracy year published Need that the plan is to pick a project with social implications, about once book, Why Societies Dissent, emphasizes pressure to conform and the risk that like-minded people Further about the including information Chicago Judges Project, will go to unjustified extremes. The Judges Project grows downloadable versions the the has can be of papers project produced, out of that general topic. found at http://www.law. uchicago. edulpolicyljudges/index. btml 3 SPRING 2004. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL Levmore: This is a great project, and I've enjoyed the way these cases, go through all these votes-and received Cass Sunstein has inspired student interest-and shown all something of an education in the cognitive sciences. But of us that there are surprising lessons to be extracted from I'm also seeing how we can make the law better, how we the available data about judicial voting patterns. This is can make the system work. You're forced to come up with something one might not initially think of as a "social � solutions.