By Staff
Law Weekly

Police Chief Addresses Class

Speaking to Professor Brandon Garrett’s Civil Rights Litigation class on Monday, Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo discussed use-of-force policies in the City of Cincinnati Police Department and his own department.

Longo, a self-described “recovering attorney” who became Charlottesville’s top cop after a decorated career with the Baltimore Police Department, is part of a monitoring team established to oversee use-of-force investigations and internal affairs investigations in the City of Cincinnati Police Department. Assembling a monitoring team was one of several recommendations the Department of Justice made at the conclusion of its investigation into the shooting of an unarmed African-American teen by a Cincinnati policeman in 2001.

Longo has worked with Cincinnati police officials to follow agreements the police department made with both the DOJ and community activist organizations.

After a discussion of the use-of-force in Cincinnati, Longo answered questions about procedures within the Charlottesville Police Department and discussed efforts the department is making to combat crime and build trust within the local community.

Moot Court Competitors Advance to Semi-Finals

Chris Yeung and Rebecca Clifford defeated Jenny Rada and Alessandra Stewart to advance to the semifinals of the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition on Monday.

They will face Matt Madden and Mike Scott, who defeated Shawn Foust and Dan Metroka.

Chris Jackson and Magdalena Kulik advanced by default after Jay Trickett and Ben Reeves dropped out of the competition.

In the last quarterfinal matchup, Jacob Snodgrass and Lincoln Bisbee faced Josh Kaplowitz and Robin Cook last night.

Wallace, ABA Officials Answer Critics in Senate Judiciary Committee

Mike Wallace ’77, a nominee to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, answered questions about his legal career, judicial temperament, and ABA rating in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last Tuesday.

The nomination of Wallace, a commercial litigator in Jackson, Mississippi office of Phelps Dunbar who once clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist, has garnered national attention after the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary unanimously ruled that Wallace was “not qualified.”

While giving high marks to Wallace for professional competence and personal integrity, the standing committee took issues with Wallace’s “judicial temperament,” questioning his concern for the poor and legal positions he took while representing Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and the Mississippi Republican Party on separate matters. Senator Ted Kennedy ’59 echoed these concerns during the hearing.

Wallace countered by arguing that he has a responsibility as an attorney to protect the legal interests of his client, even though those interests might at times be politically unpopular or out of line with his personal beliefs. Wallace and witnesses speaking in support of him dismissed claims of intolerance, pointing out that Wallace makes annual trips to Central America to build homes for the poor and has helped form a bi-racial Christian organization in the Jackson area.

While the “not qualified” rating increased the scrutiny Wallace has received, it also has placed the ABA under the microscope. GOP members of the Judiciary Committee questioned the ABA’s impartiality during the evaluation process after it was revealed that Wallace and several influential members of the ABA leadership have a long-running feud over the handling of the Legal Services Corporation. The ABA contends that these men—ABA President Michael Greco and Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary Stephen Tober—did not participate in Wallace’s evaluation process.

Abraham, BeVier, and Mahoney Named Harrison Professors

Professors Kenneth Abraham, Lillian BeVier, and Paul Mahoney were appointed as new David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professors of Law by the Board of Visitors earlier this week; they join Glen O. Robinson and G. Edward White as Harrison Professors.

The professorships, the bequest of David A. Harrison III (’39, Law ’41) in 2002, are reserved for senior teachers and scholars of national distinction.

“[These professors] stand at the pinnacle of their fields, with long records of accomplishment and distinction and many years of service at the School of Law,” said Law School Dean John C. Jeffries, Jr.

“The professorships signal to the world our commitment not only to remain in the very first rank of American legal education, but to challenge the nation’s leading private universities for the nation’s leading law professors,” Jeffries said.

New NGSL Commissioners Named

The NGSL announced 25 new members last month.

The eight new third-year members are as follows: Julian André, Michael Lewis, Toby Mergler, BJ Stieglitz, Alli Parrott, Alexis Rieger, Leota Tennant, and Stephanie Weitzner.

The 14 new second-year members are: Locke Beatty, Natalie Blazer, Mika Clark, Allie Ferguson, John Ganter, Devin Huseby, Mike Keenan, Jane Klinger, Lauren Maggio, Brian Mobley, Jerry Parker, Kyle Schindler, Coleen Schoch, and Kyle Wallace.

Head Commissioner Matt Watson, speaking of the new commissioners, said, “We’re all really excited about the new commissioners. I like them all a lot, except for that Keenan kid.”