The School of Law’s Appellate Litigation Clinic has afforded participating students the opportunity to present oral argument in six federal appellate courts over the last five years. This includes the D.C., Second, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits. Its students were also the first law students to argue before both the Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals. The clinic was founded in 2010, which makes it one of the older appellate clinics in the country.
Congratulations to Paula McBride, winner of the 2022 Emma Terrell Distinguished Employee Award. Presented annually by the Law School Staff Representative Group, the award recognizes “individuals who have demonstrated a strong work ethic, commitment to service, and exceptional job performance as well as the cooperation needed to ensure the School of Law meets and exceeds its goals.”
Assistant Professor Thomas E. Kadri presented "Interoperable Obscurity” at the Southeastern Junior/Senior Legal Scholars Conference during December.
Appellate Litigation Clinic participant and third-year student Jack K. Mahon recently presented oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The clinic's clients were class action plaintiffs suing multiple law enforcement agencies based on how those agencies respond to protests by people of color. The issues on interlocutory appeal are whether the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police has Eleventh Amendment immunity and whether the court can exercise pendent jurisdiction to review our clients’ standing during interlocutory review. Third-year students Noah C. Nix and Roby H. Jernigan helped him prepare, and second-year students Sian A. Mason and Anna E. Von Spakovsky assisted with the briefs.
Recently a U.S. District Court judge granted a contested motion filed by the First Amendment Clinic, the Community Health Law Partnership Clinic and co-counsel to add two additional named plaintiffs to Oldaker v. Giles, a putative class action currently pending in the Middle District of Georgia. The lawsuit seeks redress for women who were subjected to retaliation after speaking out about medical abuse while in the custody of U.S. Immigration Customs & Enforcement. Along with Associate Dean Jason A. Cade, Clinical Assistant Professor Clare R. Norins, Staff Attorney Kristen Shepherd and Legal Fellow Lindsey M. Floyd, numerous law students from both clinics have been involved in various aspects of the years-long advocacy on behalf of women detained at the Georgia detention center.