Topics were wide ranging at BC Law’s events this semester, featuring everything from current global issues, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, to historic legal doctrines that have shaped both US and international law. Student groups with diverse viewpoints organized a number of events around the fall US elections, examining constitutional power structures and the implications of the results on the American legal system.
There were also many notable speakers who presented their work as part of several ongoing workshop series at BC Law, which include tax policy, regulation and markets, legal history, and the faculty colloquia series.
The panels, speakers, and gatherings that follow are in addition to a number of other appearances that were covered by BC Law Magazine Online on topics that ranged from LGBTQ+ protections to updates in the Karen Read case. Read those news stories here.
A Two-State, One Homeland Solution
The National Lawyers Guild, on Sept. 17, welcomed to campus Professor Omar Dajani of the University of the Pacific, a legal expert on aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for a moderated conversation with the BC community. Dajani spoke on the subjects of binationalism, confederation, and his project, A Land for All.
Presidential Power in Historical Perspective
The Federalist Society hosted Logan Beirne, a visiting clinical lecturer at Yale Law School, on Sept. 19 for a presentation on presidential power in historical perspective. Beirne’s book, Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency, won the Colby Award for best military history.
International Human Rights Career Paths
On Oct. 16, the Holocaust/Human Rights Project welcomed international human rights law practitioner Arthur Traldi to campus for a conversation about career paths for law students interested in international law. Traldi has served as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and as a litigator of genocide allegations, crimes against humanity, and violations of the law of armed conflict.
AG Talks Health Law Developments in Rhode Island
Also on Oct. 16, the Health Law Society hosted Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha ’89, to discuss recent health law developments in Rhode Island, such as private equity/for profit ownership in healthcare and the state’s Hospital Conversions Act, which regulates potential hospital mergers.
Queer Professional Life in Boston
On Oct. 28, Lambda and the Women’s Law Center co-sponsored a panel of five queer women pursuing legal careers in Boston to discuss their experiences with the intersection of sexuality and gender in professional life.
The Future of Reproductive Rights After Dobbs
BC law professors Mary Ann Chirba, Katherine Young, Kent Greenfield, and Daniel Farbman spoke on an Oct. 30 panel about the status of reproductive rights in the US after the SCOTUS Dobbs decision.
Middle Eastern Lawyers Share Experiences
On Nov. 14, the Middle Eastern Law Students Association hosted a panel of attorneys of Middle Eastern background to share their unique experiences navigating law school and building successful careers in the legal field.
Breaking Down the Election
J. Donald Monan, SJ, University Professor of Law and Government, Aziz Rana, was the featured speaker at a post-election debrief with BC Law students, organized by the National Lawyers Guild on Nov. 26. Rana situated the current moment as one emerging from rolling crises in the US since the early 2000s, during which traditional center-left and center-right power structures have weakened. Speaking on possibilities for the left going forward, he highlighted increasing organization through unionization efforts, and winning more local political offices. Rana also pointed at potential fissures in the current right coalition that may be exploited, but which are tenuously held together under Trump currently.
WORKSHOP SERIES
Regulation and Markets
The Regulation and Markets multidisciplinary workshop series hosted five speakers this fall. Cardozo School of Law Professor Luís C. Calderón Gómez presented on Sept. 16, in conjunction with the Tax Policy workshop series. He examined major tax exemptions in the US, evaluating their socio-economic purpose and arguing they are best conceived as “limits” of taxation rather than exemptions. On Sept. 30, Professor Anne Tucker of Georgia State College of Law discussed the informational benefits of boilerplate language in mutual fund disclosures Professor Brendan Maher of Texas A&M University School of Law presented on Oct. 21 about the phenomenon of “micro-costs,” or small cognitive asks that permeate our daily lives for the worse, and proposed ways forward to better regulate them. Professor Atinuke Adediran of Fordham Law School presented on Nov. 1 about needed reforms to mitigate corporate “washing,” proposing more robust and verifiable reporting to for corporate claims to social contributions. On Nov. 18, Emory University School of Law Professor Matt Sag discussed the depoliticization of intellectual property at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tax Policy
Donald Tobin, a professor at University of Maryland Carey School of Law, spoke on Oct. 4 about the benefits of an apportioned wealth tax. Fordham University Law School Professor Linda Sugin presented about the benefits of proxy taxes, which arise from seemingly odd provisions in the tax code that target taxpayers who have relationships to other taxpayers with undertaxed income in order to raise revenue. Professor Alex Zhang of Emory Law spoke on Oct. 18 about fiscal autonomy as it applies to the strikingly different tax treatment of Native and territorial communities of the US, and how to best approach the issue. In addition to its workshop series, the Tax Policy Collaborative hosted the International Fiscal Association New England Council’s Fall Extended Breakfast on Oct. 17, fostering a discussion about current tax matters. Professor Rebecca Morrow of Wake Forest University School of Law gave a workshop on Nov. 15 on the income tax as a market correction, proposing it ultimately balances markets and mitigates the negative economic effects of loss aversion.
FACULTY COLLOQUIA
On Sept. 20, Professor Rory van Loo of the Boston University School of Law presented his research on how technological, market, and social shifts invite a rethinking of the regulatory framework for consumer-facing businesses. On. Sept. 30, Professor Courtney Cox of Fordham Law School presented her paper, “Super-Dicta,” exploring what judges do in the face of uncertainty about a case, oftentimes having reasoning behind the decision that do not reflect in the judicial reasons given for it. Professor Matthew Erie of the University of Oxford presented his paper “Adversarial Comparativism” on Oct. 2, highlighting the role of emotion in making law across borders, citing the US-China relationship as an example. On Oct. 28, Professor Aileen Kavanagh of Trinity College Dublin School of Law presented a chapter from her forthcoming book, The Call for Collaboration. In the book, she argues that in a constitutional democracy, there is no specific branch of government that should be solely entrusted with the responsibility to protect rights. Rather, there should be a mutually respectful approach between the branches as they fulfill their distinct roles. On Dec. 2, Professor Claudia Haupt from Northeastern University’s School of Law presented her work on democratic self-defense. She argued that speech protection and limitation by the state, as in the context of social media platforms, must be used in tandem to substantively defend democracy.
LEGAL HISTORY ROUNDTABLE
US Constitutions and Haitians
MIT history professor Malick W. Ghachem presented on “The American Constitutions and the Haitian Revolution” on Sept. 12. He delved into a 1791 publication from Haiti that contained a French translation of constitutions from the Early Republic of the United States, and how it impacted early understandings of who was considered free and equal in that society.
Interpreting Treaties Across Time and Space
On Dec. 5, professor Idriss Fofana of Harvard Law School presented his draft paper, “The Principles of Inter-Spatiotemporal Law: Interpreting Treaties across Time and Space.” In it, he looks at implications of his recent article on treaties between France and indigenous polities in the 19th Century West African region, and how the treaties incorporated indigenous practices and norms. He probed the question of whether international lawyers and courts should aim for historical rigor and accuracy in treaty interpretation.