FROM THE DEAN
WHY MINNESOTA LAW? THERE ARE MANY REASONS TO ATTEND THE
University of Minnesota Law School, but the biggest is the caliber of the faculty. Within these pages you will find many examples of their scholarly and community work. I’d like to highlight just a few. This fall, Regents Professor David Weissbrodt was honored with a CLE panel and dinner at which guests from across the globe celebrated his extraordinary career in international human rights. Professor Weissbrodt has inspired thousands of students, published dozens of influential articles, co-founded multiple human rights organizations, and served as a member and chair of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Professor Mark Kappelhoff recently received the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service—the highest honor the Department of Justice gives—for work he did as a deputy assistant attorney general while on loan to the DOJ last year. Professor Kappelhoff oversaw investigations of police misconduct in Ferguson, Mo., and other cities. Professor Richard Frase gave the keynote address at the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s recent roundtable on state sentencing guidelines. Together with Professor Kevin Reitz, Frase co-directs the Robina Institute on Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, which partners with local and state jurisdictions around the country to provide recommendations on sentencing and other aspects of the criminal justice system. Professor Myron Orfield’s brief on the history of housing segregation was cited in a major U. S. Supreme Court fair housing ruling in June. Last month, he was a panelist with Andrew Young, Josie R. Johnson, and Taylor Branch in Washington, D.C., at a forum honoring Vice President Walter F. Mondale (’56). Professor Dale Carpenter co-authored “The People’s Brief ” for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization. The brief was signed by more than 200,000 people and filed with the Supreme Court in the case that legalized same-sex marriage this year. Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin was appointed by the International Criminal Court to provide an expert report to guide the Trust Fund for Victims in determining reparations in the first criminal case (Prosecutor v.Thomas
Lubanga) decided by the court. She led a team of international experts over the past six months to complete the study. She also serves as advisory board chair of the Women’s Rights Program of the Open Society Foundations. In October, Professor Robert A. Stein (’61) brought Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to the Law School for a day of activities, including meetings with student leaders, faculty, and the Federalist Society. Justice Scalia also taught a class and addressed a packed Northrop Auditorium for a lecture and conversation with Professor Stein. Past speakers in the Stein Lecture series include Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Vice President Mondale. As important as their research and outreach efforts are, our faculty ultimately have their greatest impact in the classroom. Sometimes that impact manifests itself in unexpected ways. Professor Judith T.Younger recently received an email from a former student, Jonathon Cody (’11), now serving as the chief of administrative law for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He wrote: “You will be happy to know that the knowledge you conveyed to me of varying property interests, laws, and even rules against perpetuity has been put to good use on a daily basis. For example, when recently confronted with the question of what ownership right, if any, a bona fide purchaser had to a previously stolen object, I was immediately—and miraculously, I thought— able to cite to the basic facts and results of O’Keeffe v. Snyder. An answer that seemed to satisfy all parties. It was a moment akin to the day that algebra or geometry really does save someone’s life. There are hundreds of similar examples I could provide you from our attempts to return possession of an entire country to the rightful owners….”
These are just a few examples of our faculty’s dedication and expertise. Their work provides the best answer to the question, Why Minnesota Law?
David Wippman Dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law
law.umn.edu Perspectives FALL 2015
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