UH Law Students Treated to a January Term Taught by Leading National Scholars

“We are particularly grateful to these great scholars who come to the Law School and help us continue our longstanding tradition of great breadth as well as excellence throughout our curriculum. This program is now in its seventh year, and it continues to offer a tremendous opportunity for students and for everyone at the Law School and throughout the community to get to know and to learn directly from world-renowned scholars who are also wonderfully accessible,” said Avi Soifer, dean of the Law School.

Frank Boas, a generous supporter of the Law School, sponsors one visiting professor from Harvard Law School each J-Term. Professor Richard Fallon, the Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law is the 2011 Frank Boas Harvard Visiting Professor. The Wallace S. Fujiyama Distinguished Visiting Professor Fund supports many of the other J-Term professors.

1:20-3:20 p.m.; Classroom 5

Professor Fallon

5:40-7:40 p.m.; Classroom 1

Professor Heggans

9-11a.m.; Classroom 1

Professor Alexander

11:10 a.m.-1:10 p.m.; Classroom 1

Professor Levenson

3:30-5:30 p.m.; Classroom 4

Professor Madoff

12:45-2:00 p.m.; Room 254

Professor Jae-Hup Lee

Fallon will teach a seminar on The Supreme Court in U.S. Constitutional and Political History. His course will examine the relationship between decision-making by the Supreme Court and developments in national politics over the course of United States history.  He described the course as follows: “On the other hand, both defenders and critics of judicial review often characterize it as a ‘countermajoritarian’ institution, with defenders portraying the Court as a vital defender of minority rights. On the other hand, it is also widely believed that, as a nineteenth-century commentator put it, ‘the Supreme Court follows the election returns.’ The seminar will test these competing hypotheses by examining the relationship between Supreme Court decision-making and surrounding national political currents from Marbury v. Madison through the current day.

Greg Alexander is a professor of law at Cornell Law School. He will teach a seminar on Comparative Constitutional Property Law that examines various aspects of constitutional protection of property from a comparative perspective. Among the topics considered are: (1) Why constitutionalize property at all? (2) Eminent domain and the “public use” requirement; (3) Are regulatory takings recognized in other countries? (4) The proportionality doctrine; and (5) What counts as “property” for constitutional purposes? The seminar will compare American law and theories with its counterparts in other jurisdictions, notably Canada, Germany, and South Africa.”

T. Derrick Heggans is the managing director of the Sports Business Initiative at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Heggans will teach a seminar on Sports and the Law, which will examine how law applies to the business of sports and legal issues that govern and affect the everyday operation and experience of sports. The seminar will examine the practical application of the law in a variety of contexts, using a 360 degree approach to examine issues related to various transactions within the business of sports (e.g. Player Services Agreements, Endorsement Contracts, Sponsorship Agreements, Vendor Agreements, Land Use and Distribution Agreements). The seminar also examines Tort Law’s application to the world of sports as well as the growing explosion of the emphasis on Intellectual Property Law with the expansion of technology and media. It will also review the role of Antitrust Law in the history of sports as well as Title IX’s impact on sports and greater society.

Jae-Hyup Lee, associate professor of law at the Seoul National University College of Law and former Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the William S. Richardson School of Law, will teach a seminar on Asian Comparative Environmental Law that will provide a comparative overview of the environmental and energy-related laws of Korea, Japan, and China. It will deal with the historical development of environmental laws and policies, basic governmental structures in environmental administration, specific environmental laws and policy instruments, court opinions and jurisprudence, and recent legislation related to the climate change.

Laurie L. Levenson, professor of law and William M. Rains Fellow and David W. Burcham Chair in Ethical Advocacy at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, will teach a seminar on High-profile Trials, Gangs, Juvenile Justice, White-Collar Crime and the Death Penalty. This course will explore hot issues in the criminal justice system, including: (1) The causes of crime and whether or not to decriminalize drugs, euthanasia and consensual sexual behaviors; (2) White collar and Internet crimes; (3) Juvenile crimes, gang violence and gun control; (4) The effect of the media on the criminal justice system and the lessons of high-profile cases; and (5) Alternative sentencing, prison reform and the death penalty.

Ray Madoff, professor of law at Boston College Law School, will teach a seminar on“Immortality and the Law – Understanding the Law of the Dead,” which will examine what it means to be dead in American law today, to what extent does the law respect the wishes of the dead with regard to their bodies, property and reputation, and to what extent should it do so. This course explores some of the conflicting rules regarding people’s ability to exert control after death as well as the philosophical, psychological, and sociological justifications for these rules.

For more information, visit www.law.hawaii,edu. Public lectures have limited seating and an RSVP is requested at lawevent@hawaii.edu. Parking is $5 parking at Zone 20 on a space available basis.