Looking Back: 70 Years of the Law Weekly


“When most law students think of heavy metal, groups like M[ö]tley Cr[ü]e and Van Halen probably come to mind. But the genre has changed quite a bit since (most of us) were in high school, and surprisingly, Charlottesville attracts a fairly significant number of very talented metal bands. In the past year, Trax (now Crossroads) has hosted some prominent, nationally known bands, including Overkill, Pro-Pain, Sacred Reich, Corrosion of Conformity, and Souls at Zero (formerly Wrathchild America). Hint: if you want to see one of these bands, Crossroads is a great forum because of its size, but do yourself a favor and don’t dress like a student. Tattoos, although popular, aren’t necessary, but L.L. Bean and J. Crew will get you some funny looks.” Van Hardenbergh, “Charlottesville Metal Scene Flourishes,” Virginia Law Weekly, Friday, October 28, 1994.  The Law Weekly can neither confirm nor deny whether heavy metal continues to flourish in Charlottesville because I am writing this article wearing both L.L. Bean and J. Crew, but I’m glad to know even law students got in on the grunge and metal of the 90s. 

 

“The competition challenges candidates on several levels, including a talent, swimsuit, formalwear, and even a best eyes event… Watch out contestants and audience. The competition up to this point has been cutthroat, especially considering the impressive pool of male law students to choose from. Narrowing the group down to seven must have been extraordinarily difficult, but the real challenge faces the eager contestants on Saturday night,” Jackie Sadker ’02, “Men Compete for ‘Mr. U.Va. Law’ Title,” Virginia Law Weekly, Friday, November 3, 2000. It turns out, last year’s Libel video, UVA Law Boys, draws on a long and storied tradition of allowing male law students opportunities to strut their stuff. 

 

“As the only common forum for the Law School community, the Law Weekly has a fiduciary duty to readers to publish content that is responsive to their social, academic, and professional interests. Moreover, because it has a monopoly over the Law School market, the paper should reflect not only some, but all of the diverse interests represented in the student body… Most importantly, remember that this is your paper. Although you have no choice over whether to buy it—it’s ‘free’—you also have no choice over whether to pay for it because it’s heavily subsidized by the SBA, which in turn gets its money from your tuition and activity fees… To really make your voice heard, you are still better off sharing your thoughts directly with the Law Weekly staff. I think I can speak for the paper when I say, in the words of Ross Perot, we’re ‘all ears.’” Eric Wang, “How Are We Doing?” Virginia Law Weekly, Friday, October 8, 2004. You still don’t have a choice about whether or not you pay for the Law Weekly and I no longer get the Ross Perot reference, but the Law Weekly staff still worries about preserving the history of the school and is still all ears. 

“The short course is a tempting choice for the enterprising procrastinator. One whole course that you don’t need to attend until November! Well, I’m here to tell you: That’s a load of horse puckey. Short courses have many great things to offer, but lightening your per-credit workload is not one of them.” Evan Mix ’12, “The Short Course: A Pocket Survival Guide,” Virginia Law Weekly, Friday, November 19, 2010. I thought this was a good reminder for the 1Ls out there thinking about spring classes. Mostly, though, I really want to bring back the term “horse puckey.”