  |
June 8 - 14, 2003 |
Judge Williams Addresses Graduates At June 15 Commencement
The John Marshall Law School will award 229 J.D. degrees and 43 LL.M. degrees at commencement ceremonies Sunday, June 15, at McCormick Place. The honorary degree recipient will be U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ann Claire Williams.
This will be the fourth honorary degree for Judge Williams, who has received numerous accolades not only for her work on the bench and on behalf of her colleagues on the bench, but also for her public service to the legal community, new young lawyers and African-Americans in the profession.
Williams' first career was in education as a music teacher and third-grade teacher in Detroit. She later enrolled in law school, earning a degree from the University of Notre Dame. She served as a law clerk and was an assistant U.S. attorney for nine years, including positions as deputy chief of a criminal division and first chief of the Organized Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Williams was appointed to the U.S. District Court in the 1980s, where she was one of the youngest persons to serve, and the first African-American woman appointed to the district court in Illinois and in the Seventh Circuit. She served for more than 10 years until she was appointed in 1999 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She was the first African-American appointed to the Circuit, and the third African-American woman to serve on any federal appeals court.
Williams is an active member of the Federal Judges Association, and has served as its president and treasurer. The Federal Judges Association, founded by the late Judge Hubert Will, has a membership of more than 800 federal district and appeals court judges and is dedicated to preserving the independence of the federal judiciary.
She also has been a member of the Court Administration and Case Management Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and served as the committee's chair in 1993. The committee is responsible for policy recommendations. She also taught case management skills for new federal judges between 1990 and 1997.
Williams teaches trial advocacy with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, in law school and other CLE courses. She was appointed to the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Board of Directors in 1996.
In 1977, Williams was troubled by the low bar passage rates for African-American law students. She co-founded Minority Legal Education Resources, Inc., an organization that has taught more than 2,000 minority and other lawyers how to pass the Illinois bar. In 1997, she founded the MLER Law School Consortium to assist minority law students in Chicago-area law schools in achieving greater academic success.
In 1993, she was a founding member of Just The Beginning Foundation, an organization dedicated to celebrating the contributions, preserving the history and educating the public about the accomplishments of African-American federal judges.
A court case (In Re Folding Carton) she decided in 1991 included an order to provide $2.3 million to fund bright, young lawyers to assist minority and underrepresented individuals and communities. The funding has been distributed through Equal Justice Works (formerly the National Association for Public Interest Law) and funds post-graduate fellowships for public interest agencies and organizations. Williams serves as a board member for Equal Justice Works. This year, 150 fellows are assigned to underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.
Top Of Page
Schedule of Events
June 5
- Comprehensive Exam Review, Room 200, 9:00 a.m.
June 6
- Comprehensive Exam, Room 200, 8:00 a.m.
- Institute for Law Teaching, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
June 7
- Institute for Law Teaching, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
- Comprehensive Exam, Room 200, 9:00 a.m.
June 10
- Comprehensive Exam Review, Room 300, 9:00 a.m.
- Conference on Tax Sales, Room 1200, 3:00 p.m.
June 11
- Comprehensive Exam Review, Room 200, 9:00 a.m.
- CREL Faculty Appreciation Lunch, Room 1200, 12:00 p.m.
- Development Committee Meeting, Room 1203, 12:00 p.m.
- Board of Trustees Meeting, Room 1200B, 4:00 p.m.
June 12
- Cap & Gown Distribution, Room 3East, 12:00 p.m.
- Asylum Training, Room 300, 12:30 p.m.
- Gaming Law Class/Seminar, Room 1200, 1:00 p.m.
June 14
- Comprehensive Exam Review, Room 1200, 9:00 a.m.
A complete online listing of events scheduled at The John Marshall Law School can be found at the following URL: http://www.jmls.edu/calendar.htm
Top Of Page
Summer Seminar on Spam, E-Mail Marketing Offered at The John Marshall Law School
The Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law at The John Marshall Law School is presenting the Current Topics Seminar, "Regulation of Spam and E-Mail Marketing," with internationally recognized expert Professor David Sorkin.
The two credit-hour seminar will meet on Sunday, June 22; Saturday, July 12; Saturday,July 26; and Sunday, July 27.
Professor Sorkin, with invited guests, will lead the discussion focusing on: legal and policy issues raised by e-mail marketing and spam; the application of tort law and other traditional doctrines to spam; and concerns related to the constitutionality, jurisdiction, extraterritoriality, privacy, content and public policy.
In addition, the seminar will cover regulatory perspectives; issues faced by Internet service providers and legitimate e-mail marketers; and the legal aspects of blacklisting and other anti-spam measures.
Professor Sorkin has been an invited speaker and presenter about spam throughout the United States and around the world. He most recently gave expert testimony on spam before the Federal Trade Commission.
For additional information, contact Pamela Potter at the Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law at 312.987.1419.
Top Of Page
Contents
Other LinksReturn to The John Marshall Law School Home Page
 |
|
William K. Beach Named Associate Dean
The Board of Trustees of The John Marshall Law School has promoted William K. Beach to associate dean and chief development officer for the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
He previously served as assistant dean and chief development officer. Beach also directs the Centennial Campaign which will conclude in August 2003. This campaign, which is the first major fundraising initiative in the law school's history, is an estimated $2 million over goal. Beach is credited with strengthening the school's ties with business, government and legal networks, and has worked closely with The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association.
Beach has been a staff member at John Marshall since 1998. He was a consultant for the law school before his appointment.
Top Of Page
Faculty Activity and Publications
Professor Michael P. Seng
Activities
He participated in a seminar on "The Response to Terrorism: Its Impact on Law, Commerce, and Human Rights" from May 4 to 7, in Salzburg, Austria, presented by the Center for International Legal Studies. Professor Seng presented a paper on "The Detention of Aliens and the United States Constitution." Approximately 50 attorneys and law professors from 12 countries from around the world participated in the seminar. Participants included judges from the United States, Great Britain and Hungary, as well as from the Office of the High Commission of Human Rights in Geneva. The participants represented a wide range of perspectives and discussions were spirited.
Top Of Page
Ralph Ruebner To Instruct Judges About Criminal Procedure
Professor Ralph Ruebner of The John Marshall Law School has been invited to serve as an instructor for a summer class on criminal procedure for the American Academy of Judicial Education.
The class, designed for state judges, will meet Aug. 2-7 in Monterey, Calif. Professor Ruebner will be joined by Professor Charles Whitebread of the University of Southern California.
Professor Ruebner has been teaching criminal procedure and evidence at The John Marshall Law School since 1981. He is highly regarded in the field of criminal law and evidence, and is the author and editor of "Illinois Criminal Procedure," a two-volume treatise published by Lexis Publishing Co., which examines Illinois and federal constitutional law issues. The book has been used by trial and appellate litigators.
Ruebner also is executive director of the law school's Criminal Justice Clinic giving students the opportunity to examine cases of prisoners who have exhausted their appellate remedies and are now pursuing other post-conviction options.
Top Of Page
In Memoriam—Samuel T. Lawton Jr.
Adjunct Professor Samuel T. Lawton Jr. died Thursday, May 22, after a brief illness. He was 84.
Mr. Lawton was the son of one of John Marshall's first graduates. His father, Samuel T. Lawton Sr., was a member of the Class of 1905.
Mr. Lawton Jr. was in the classroom since Dean Noble Lee first invited him to teach in 1955. During his tenure, he taught courses in municipal, local government and environmental law, and Sales Transactions (Uniform Commercial Code). He taught his last class, Environmental Controls, this spring semester.
Mr. Lawton brought his life experiences to the John Marshall classroom, and designed courses based on his expertise. He served on the Illinois Air Pollution Control Board, and was its chairman in 1970. He was also one of the first members of the Illinois Pollution Control Board serving from 1970 to 1973, and again from 2000 to 2002. He was a former mayor of Highland Park, and was a partner in Altheimer, Gray, Naiburg, Strasburger & Lawton.
Mr. Lawton is survived by his wife, Mary; son Samuel; daughters Mary Larson and Nancy; and eight grandchildren.