Rob Johnson, ’08, is running to represent Baltimore County’s 10th District in the Maryland House of Delegates.  

Rob’s campaign website is www.electrobjohnson.com.    On Facebook he’s at: ElectRobJohnson  And on Twitter: @ElectRobJohnson.    His email address is robjohnsonjr81@gmail.com. 

The School of Law publicizes the candidacies of all of its alumni, regardless of political party, because running for and serving in elected office is a valuable public service activity, clearly in keeping with our mission!  

Good luck, Rob! 

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride '81 spoke to lawyers and judges at the McHenry County Bar Association and Prairie State Legal Services annual luncheon, which honors lawyers and law firms who represent indigent clients on a pro bono basis.

Kilbride’s keynote speech discussed the state’s 11-member Access to Justice Commission, of which McHenry County Chief Judge Michael Sullivan is a member. The project is designed to ease entry to the court system by those people who cannot afford an attorney and cannot qualify for legal aid.

"Our adversarial system works the best with competent lawyers on both sides,” Kilbride said. "That’s really true, and that comes home and is especially true with the number of people who are in need of lawyers.”

In Illinois, one in three people live at or below the federal poverty level, Kilbride said, leaving the market wide open to assist those in need.

"I know how hard the market is for lawyers these days, for solos and small law firms, and by no means are we trying to take business away from lawyers,” Kilbride said. "This is for the folks who don’t ... have enough money. Those are the folks we’re talking about.”

Read more in the Northwest Herald, "Illinois Supreme Court Chief talks access to justice"

Aviva Kempner '76 was interviewed by The Philadelphia Sunday about her life influencing her documentary films. Kempner says, "As a child of a survivor born in post-war Europe, I had grown up fantasizing about being in the resistance during World War II. In late 1979, I had a roots awakening to explore my Jewish roots. Since then, I have devoted myself to countering negative screen images of Jews.

Typically, Jews are portrayed by the suicidal, female Holocaust survivor, the nebbishy Jewish male and the domineering Jewish mother. I am committed to making documentaries which counter these negative portrayals by showing non-stereotypical images of Jews."

Read more in The Philadelphia Sunday, "Director/producer Aviva Kempner--Viva Aviva!"

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride '81 is urging lower-court judges to comply with laws mandating they promptly notify state police after deeming someone mentally unsound, telling them compliance is all the more critical amid gun control debates and in the wake of "gun-related tragedies."

The memo, dated May 7, comes as a federal court's June 9 deadline looms for Illinois to adopt legislation allowing for public possession of weapons. It also follows the December slayings of 20 children and six adults in a Newtown, Connecticut, school, which reignited a national debate about gun laws.

"This issue has received heightened scrutiny in light of recent gun-related tragedies and the current concealed carry debate," Kilbride wrote. He does not refer to any specific shooting.

Aviva Kempner '76 was interviewed by The Jewish Journal about the rerelease on dvd of her documentary, "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg."

"I think Hank Greenberg was the great American hero," Kempner says. "What he did on Yom Kippur. What he faced. He was our Jackie Robinson."

Thirteen years after the debut of "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," her documentary about the baseball great, Kempner is rereleasing the film on DVD -- including an additional two hours of interviews that didn't make the original cut.

Greenberg, known to Jewish fans as the Detroit Tigers' power hitter who sat out an important game during the 1934 pennant race because it fell on Yom Kippur, scored achievements rivaling those of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Greenberg served in World War II and, after his retirement from playing, went on to be an owner-manager of the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox. He faced anti-Semitism throughout his playing career.

Hens-Greco said his main interest is gun violence. He would ask for commitments from council, the new mayor and police chief to end gun violence, then discuss ways to do that. He favors hiring more police officers and fostering a better relationship between police and neighborhood residents.

"If we can end gun violence, it would transform the quality of life and safety in the city for everybody,” he said.  

Hens-Greco previously worked as a legal services attorney for University Legal Services in Washington. He was also the Chair of Pittsburgh's 14th Ward Democratic Committee but has stepped aside while running for council. 

Read more about the election at TribLive.

Prince George's County Board of Education Chairwoman Verjeana Jacobs, '96, has been appointed to the 16-person steering committee of the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education, or CUBE.

As a member of CUBE’s steering committee, Jacobs (Dist. 5) will serve as an ambassador for the program and will work to improve the effectiveness of board members across the country in their efforts as policymakers of urban schools, according to a PGCPS statement.

CUBE represents approximately 100 urban school districts in 35 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands and works with urban school boards to find solutions to challenges at a local level and assists them in strengthening their policymaking effectiveness, according to the release.

"I am deeply honored to be selected to serve on this committee,” Jacobs said. "As a result of this opportunity, I will be able to get a broad perspective on what other boards are doing nationwide, as well as share the success of our district. Instruction, policy and rigor are improved by sharing strategies of best practices. This platform will allow us to do this on a national scale.”

Read more in the Maryland Gazette, "Prince George’s school board chairwoman named to national committee"

Michigan State Law Professor Brian Gilmore '92 published an article in The Island Packet on the need to preserve civil liberties despite renewed calls to enact anti-terrorism legislation that may infringe on those liberties.

Gilmore writes, "Let's not allow the tragic bombings in Boston to become an excuse to gut our civil liberties once again."

Read the full article in The Island Packet, "We need to preserve our civil liberties"

She holds a B.A. from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a J.D. cum laude from UDC-DCSL. Read more at The Bureau of National Affairs.

Caroline Smith DeWaal, '85 alum and Food Safety Director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), published an article in Food Safety News on the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. DeWaal writes, "With the signing of the historic FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, President Obama and Congress have adopted the first comprehensive overhaul of the food safety program at the Food and Drug Administration. This overhaul will replace the reactive legal structure under which FDA responded to problems–adulterated or misbranded foods already on the market–with a preventive mandate. The new structure gives FDA much greater oversight over the food industry, including requiring facilities to register every two years, to develop new food safety plans, and to provide the agency with test results. The bill also gives greater incentives for the industry and importers to implement strong food safety programs, so that one bad actor is less likely to have an adverse impact on an entire segment of the industry, which is what happened to spinach growers a few years ago."

 Read more in Food Safety News, "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: Out of the Box"

Read more at www.sanjoseca.gov/ipa

DePaul University Law Professor Andrea Lyon '76 published a blog in The Huffington Post on police and prosecutors hiding exculpatory evidence.

Lyon writes, "By now many people know of the shameful legacy of police torture here in Chicago. Thus far only one of the perpetrators, Jon Burge, has been held to account. Recently, a Court of Inquiry in Texas found probable cause to arrest former prosecutor for deliberately hiding exculpatory evidence from Michael Morton who spent decades in prison for a crime he did not commit, but this is unusual. Most of the time nothing happens to police or prosecutors who hide exculpatory evidence."

On April 24th, Susan Herman '81, an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Pace University in New York City, received the National Crime Victim Service Award by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"These committed individuals are being honored for their dedication to assisting and supporting victims of crime all across the country,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. "Their actions inspire all Americans, to do what we can, each in our own way, to help lessen the physical, emotional and financial impacts of crime on people in our communities.”

Herman is well respected among crime victims and victim assistance professionals across the country. She has brought innovation to the crime victims’ movement for more than 30 years. As the former Executive Director of the National Center for Victims of Crime, Herman demonstrated leadership and vision through the development of numerous innovative programs, such as the Stalking Resource Center, which provides, among many other things, direct techni­cal assistance and training to victim service providers and criminal justice agencies around the country; and the Teen Victim Project, which raises public awareness and helps communities develop multidisciplinary approaches to serving teen victims. She also launched the National Crime Victim Bar Association, which educates attorneys, victim service provid­ers, and the general public on the availability of civil remedies for crime victims. All of these initiatives were designed to fill important gaps in ser­vices in the crime victims field. She is probably most well known for her groundbreaking work to establish "parallel justice” for crime victims. As de­scribed in-depth in her 2010 book, Parallel Justice for Victims of Crime, this concept requires that society not only hold offenders accountable for the harms they cause, but also do all that’s possible to help repair the harm to crime victims.

Read the full press release, "Justice Department Honors New York Professor for 30 Years Advocating for Victims' Rights"

Darrin Sobin said this week that the panel's request for enhanced powers was "intended to send a message that ethics reform is active and ongoing."

The board's 16 recommendations to District lawmakers emphasized the need for tougher rules to avoid "indirect action that creates an appearance of nepotism-based conflict of interest" and suggested "romantic and cohabitant relationships" be included in anti-nepotism guidelines.

Read more in The Examiner, "D.C. ethics panel seeks greater authority, stricter rules"

Former MSHA investigator and mine safety advocate Tony Oppegard points out that a CLR is not an attorney, but if approved by an Administrative Law Judge can participate in the litigation of citations before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.

"Their job is to try to take some of the burden off of MSHA attorneys,” Oppegard said, "by handling simple cases that can be easily and quickly resolved before administrative law judges. Typically these are these are rather simple citations usually that are not S and S.”

But a ruling issued by federal Administrative Law Judge Margaret Miller indicates that a CLR was chosen to represent MSHA as Marfork Coal contested violations that were S and S—meaning "significant and substantial.”

"I’m surprised in this particular case that MSHA would even have a CLR on the case," Oppegard said, "because this is at a mine with a history of problems these are not routine violations some of them according to the ALJ’s decision were very serious.”

Read more in West Virginia Public Broadcasting, "Judge denies Alpha, MSHA request to reduce citation seriousness"

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, directed by Aviva Kempner '76, has just been re-released on dvd. The documentary tells the story of Detroit Tigers legend Hank Greenberg, who transcended ethnic and religious prejudice to become a hero for all Americans.

The new DVD contains over two hours of extras, including a phone interview with Ted Williams, new interviews with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, new archival footage and photos, and more interviews with Walter Matthau, Senator Carl Levin and Congressman Sander Levin, Shirley Povich and many others. Even a few stories of the Senators.

For those in DC call 202-362-5760 to arrange purchasing copies in person at 5005 Linnean Avenue NW on weekdays. Cost is $30 and extra costs for shipping.

Please visit the website hankgreenbergfilm.org for information on how to pay by check or money order.

Read more at Deadline Detroit, "Former Detroiter Aviva Kempner Keeping the Hank Greenberg Legend Alive"

Caroline Smith DeWaal, '85 alum and Food Safety Director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), was quoted in UPI on an analysis CSPI did of 33,000 cases of food-borne illness finding ground beef and chicken were the riskiest meats for germs such as E. coli.

DeWaal said hospitalizations caused by Salmonella put chicken in the "highest risk" category alongside with ground beef. Clostridium and norovirus also caused outbreaks associated with chicken, while campylobacter bacteria was also believed to cause a large number of individual illnesses associated with chicken but rarely caused outbreaks, DeWaal said.

"Outbreaks from ground beef and chicken were reported frequently, and all too often caused debilitating illnesses -- illnesses that led to hospitalization," DeWaal said in a statement. "For example, approximately a quarter of those who were sickened by Salmonella would go to the hospital. The hospitalization rate for E. coli infections was nearly 50 percent and for Listeria infections it is more than 90 percent."

Chicken nuggets, ham and sausage pose the lowest risk of food-borne illness, DeWaal said.

Read more in UPI, "CSPI: Chicken, ground beef riskiest when it comes to pathogens"

Tom Devine, Government Accountability Project Legal Director and '80 alum, was quoted in The Washington Post on the new film, "War on Whistleblowers: Free Press and the National Security State.”

"There’s a schizophrenia within the administration,” said Tom Devine. "It’s been Obama versus Obama on whistleblower policy. Until recently, there was a virtual free-speech advocacy for whistleblower job rights that’s unprecedented, more than any other president in history.

"At the same time,” Devine added, "he has willingly allowed the Justice Department to prosecute whistleblowers on tenuous grounds.”

 Read more in The Washington Post, "New film looks at ‘War on Whistleblowers’"

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride '81 says years of budget cuts mean there aren’t enough probation officers monitoring criminals. He said the murder of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot days after singing at President Obama’s inauguration, could have been prevented.

Kilbride said one of the suspected shooters violated parole three times, and should have already been in custody. "There are too many cases, with too few probation workers to handle the load, and this individual slipped through the system,” said Kilbride.

Read more at WUIS.org, "Illinois Supreme Court Requests More Money for Probation Officers"

Jack J. Casciato '11 has joined the Chicago office of Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney, Ltd. as an associate attorney. Mr. Casciato focuses his practice on complex mass tort litigation as well as the defense of manufacturers in product liability claims. A former collegiate level hockey player, Mr. Casciato has also served as counsel to several current and former National Hockey League players and coaches. Mr. Casciato received his J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (2011) and a B.A. from DePaul University (2008). Segal McCambridge is a litigation firm with more than 150 attorneys and offices in seven cities nationwide.

Sam Cacas '81 book, "In Defense of Civil Rights: The 40 Year History of the Asian Law Caucus" was reviewed in The International Examiner. The book details the history of the Asian Law Caucus including the Korematsu decision and the first Asian Pacific American class action employment discrimination case.

Author Sam Cacas has written about Asian American issues for Asian Week, Today’s Black Woman, American Demographics, Philippine News, International Examiner, Yolk, Oakland Tribune, and San Francisco Bay Guardian. He currently resides in Northern California with his wife, Dora Love.

Congratulations to Blair Miles '06, who just negotiated a $22,000 settlement for his client in a landlord-tenant case. The client was discriminated against based on his disability, and had his reasonable accommodation repeatedly denied prior to Miles' involvement. Through the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Miles negotiated and got for his client the accommodation, $22,000, and training on housing law for the landlord and his managers.

Find out more information at the Law Office of Blair J. Miles.

Imam Daayiee Abdullah ’95, who runs a more inclusive mosque in Washington, D.C. called Light of Reform Mosque, was featured in The Washington Post's Style section. "I think we’re at the start of a movement: a more inclusive Islam in America,” says Abdullah, who runs Washington’s Light of Reform mosque and is thought to be the only publicly gay Muslim leader in the Western Hemisphere. "So if you have any same-sex marriages,” he says with a soft smile and a shrug, "I’m available.” Abdullah, an African American convert to Islam who is part of a national network of progressive Muslims, is the keeper of their secrets. He quietly helps gay Muslim couples get married, counseling them beforehand and keeping the ceremonies low-profile.

Faisal Alam, a Muslim activist formerly based in D.C. and now on the steering committee of the recently formed Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity, said Abdullah has been "immensely helpful for individuals who are trying to reconcile our sexuality with our faith.”

Read the full article in The Washington Post, "Imam Daayiee Abdullah welcomes gay Muslims to worship, marry"

Tom Devine, Government Accountability Project Legal Director and '80 alum, published an editorial in The Guardian on President Obama's contradictory stance on whistleblowing.

Tom Devine writes, "The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA) provides unprecedented employment protections. No other president has come close to President Obama on strengthening whistleblower job rights. Thanks to him, even national security workers now have in-house free speech rights. These breakthroughs last year were enormous wins after decades of resistance.

While they are the fewest in numbers, we need national security whistleblowers the most. They expose the worst abuses of power: blanket illegal wiretapping, human rights abuses, military murder of journalists and war crimes."

Read the full editorial in The Guardian, "Obama's dangerously contradictory stance on whistleblowing"

Before the reunion party began more than 20 alumni participated in a conversation on what the School of Law might be able to do to help with the formation of law firms that could hire students and recent grads, make existing alumni practices more sustainable, and extend more legal service to those in need. Most participants came specifically for that session, but a number of those alums coming in for the reunion also participated in a stimulating discussion that featured brief presentations by Jason West, ’12, Natalie Kitzrow, ’12, Nick Clark, ’10, Chuck Detling, ’04, and Professor Edgar Cahn.

Between the alumni firm conversation and the reunion party, the School held the first of what it expects to be annual reunion mini-symposia. These TED-like talks were heard by over 40 alumni and others. Presenters included Prof. Cahn, Steve Milliken, ’78, Kateri Gasper, ’83, Prof. Charles Jeane, ’08, Prof. Andrew Ferguson, Prof. LaShanda Taylor, and Prof. Kristina Campbell. Alumni Director Joe Libertelli served as emcee and provided introductions. The talks were well-done and well-received and stimulated conversations continuing long after the event had officially concluded.

The reunion party in the 5th floor reception area featured classical music by the David Rabin String Quartet and a spread created by Green Plate Catering. Thanks to students Jaime Canizares and Matt Elsen for their heroic bartending efforts!