Jun. 5, 2020—The recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and countless others form part of a long and tragic history of racial violence and injustice. It is time for us to act.
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May. 29, 2020—Judge Trauger was appointed to the Middle District of Tennessee in 1998 after serving as a federal bankruptcy judge. Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw '81 (BA'79), who nominated her for the award together with other Sixth Circuit colleagues, said, "Judge Trauger has demonstrated extraordinary industry, character and intellect in every position she has held in her distinguished career. Even more remarkable is the fact that, throughout her career, she has been the first or one of the first women to hold each position.”
May. 27, 2020—Brassel has practiced entertainment law in Memphis since his graduation from VLS and previously taught at the University of Memphis as an adjunct professor. He will join the university's permanent music business faculty this fall.
May. 26, 2020—The scholarship was endowed by a gift from the Sarah and Ross Perot Jr. Foundation to recognize Zeppos’ extraordinary tenure as Vanderbilt chancellor from 2008 through 2019. Ross Perot Jr., BA’81, announced the gift Feb. 7 at a meeting of Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust, on which he has served since 2010. The chancellor emeritus is currently on a yearlong sabbatical and will return to the Vanderbilt faculty as professor of law and political science.
May. 20, 2020—Rising 2Ls and 3Ls will work in federal and state judicial chambers, agencies and law offices, with prosecutors and public defenders, and with public interest and advocacy organizations.
May. 13, 2020—Akinnawonu will work as an immigration attorney at the Mississippi Center for Justice in Jackson. She connected with the MCJ while working at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Jackson during summer 2019.
May. 8, 2020—Hall-Hartman Awards are based on a poll of students in each first-year section and also honor outstanding teaching in large and small upper-level classes.
May. 8, 2020—21 2020 graduates honored for scholastic accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the Vanderbilt Law community.
May. 6, 2020—Banks is one of eight 2020 law graduates honored for their exemplary commitment to public interest law and pro bono work. She was a Garrison Social Justice Scholar.
May. 5, 2020—Thompson’s paper, “Avoiding Pyrrhic Victories in Orbit: A Need for Anti-Satellite Arms Control in the 21st Century,” is forthcoming in the SMU Journal of Air Law and Commerce. Thompson is a Captain in the U.S. Army and will enter the JAG Corps after graduation.
May. 4, 2020—Sandford will join the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office in Knoxville, Tennessee; DeFuccio will join the Mecklenberg Defenders in Charlotte, North Carolina.
May. 1, 2020—Elizabeth Holden received the Chris Lantz Award, Wesley Gonzalez the Damali K. Booker Award, Amber Banks the Philip G. Davidson Award, and Joey Blake and Kristine Knowles the Jordan A. Quick Award.
May. 1, 2020—Amber Banks ’20 completed 611 pro bono hours as a VLS student. Eunice Lim ’21 and Jackson Hill ’22 were also recognized for leading their classes in pro bono hours with 299 and 99 hours, respectively.
Apr. 30, 2020—Miller attended VLS with support from the Thomas W. Beasley Endowment Fund, which supports military veterans. She plans to join the U.S. Army JAG Corps and serve as a law clerk for Judge Amul Thapar on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit starting in 2023.
Apr. 27, 2020—Simmons served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, was elected to the state senate in 2010, and will retire this year due to term limits. He co-founded the Central Florida law firm of Beaubien Simmons Knight Mantzaris and Neal, where he continues to practice, in 1980.
Apr. 21, 2020—Thompson is a military intelligence officer attending VLS through the U.S. Army’s Funded Legal Education Program and as a Thomas Beasley Scholar. His Lawfare blog column, “Russia’s Recent Space Activity Is a Return to Old Form,” is based on his paper “Avoiding Pyrrhic Victories in Orbit: A Need for Anti-Satellite Arms Control in the 21st Century,” forthcoming in the SMU Journal of Air Law and Commerce. Thompson’s paper is the winner of the American Society of International Law’s 2020 Richard Baxter Military Prize.
Apr. 21, 2020—Dozier is working at Just City as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. He supervised a team of students who worked on expungement cases, participating a Court Watch program, and supported other criminal justice advocacy initiatives.
Apr. 21, 2020—Ryan’s paper, “The Fault in Our Stars,” which challenges the FCC’s longstanding policy of excluding commercial satellites from NEPA review, has prompted Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to ask for a GAO review.
Apr. 20, 2020—Judge Evangelista had worked as a trial lawyer in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office since 2003, most recently as a deputy public defender.
Apr. 20, 2020—In a discussion with Planet Money hosts Sarah Gonzalez and Kenny Malone, Professor Viscusi applies his research on the value of reducing risks to life to two pressing questions: "Is it worth it to shut down the economy to save lives?" Or "Should we let people die to save the economy?" He talks about how he came up with a value for a human life and how that value could inform decisions about when to reopen the economy. Viscusi co-directs the Ph.D. in Law and Economics program.
Apr. 15, 2020—Students worked in an expungement clinic, investigated policing practices to support impact litigation, researched the criminalization of HIV and supported other legal advocacy initiatives.
Apr. 9, 2020—Miller was recognized for her leadership in activities that contribute to the achievements, interests and goals of women or that promote gender equity. She is editor-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Law Review. She served in the Army ROTC as an undergraduate at Princeton University, and her legal education has been supported by the Funded Legal Education Program, which sponsors 25 Army officers each year.
Apr. 9, 2020—Witenoff has served as president of the VLS chapter of the American Constitution Society during 2019-20.
Mar. 27, 2020—John Hasnas, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics, touts The Conservative Case for Class Actions as "a well-constructed, informative, and clearly expressed argument for the value of class action lawsuits." In his review, published in Regulation, Hasnas says Fitzpatrick's book "should appeal to thoughtful readers regardless of prior ideological commitments."
Mar. 21, 2020—Wiseman was nominated to his seat on the Middle District of Tennessee in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. He assumed senior status in 1995. Before taking the bench, he served as state treasurer from 1971-71 and in the Tennessee State House of Representatives from 1964-68.