On June 14, the CSU Law Appellate Practice Clinic went to Cincinnati to conduct an oral argument before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

The Clinic’s team included students Philip Shipman ’24 (left), Mickey Isakoff ’24 (center), and Professor Kalir (right), who directs the Clinic and served as counsel of record.

The three met prior to the hearing for a last-minute polish of the argument; walked together to the Federal Courthouse early in the day; and attended Oral Argument in the case they worked on (delivered by Professor Kalir) before a panel of Chief Judge Sutton, and Judges Larson and Murphy. Finally, the team conducted a post-hearing debrief, much like they would later do in their career.   

Mr. Shipman stated, “This was my first time in a Federal Appeals Court, and I could feel the history permeating the courtroom. I cannot describe how incredible the experience was, and I challenge all students and alumni to attend an oral argument in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the brief writing process and am thankful to the College of Law for supporting the Appellate Practice Clinic.”

Mr. Isakoff added, “For me, the entire experience may be summed up as inspirational. The aura and respect for the tribunal was palpable. And the level of preparation commanded by the judges and demonstrated by the oralists was remarkable—truly demonstrating what it means to be a professional attorney. It was the pinnacle of what being an aspiring attorney and experiential learning is all about.”

Other than these two students, no less than six other students from the Clinic were involved in this case — from the opening brief, to reply brief, to oral argument preparation — including Ms. Dalya Oprian, Ms. Tigan Woolson, Mr. Tony Zarrella, Ms. Abby McCoy, Mr. Dylan Brown, and Mr. Joe Stebelton. Professors Jonathan Witmer-Rich, Matthew Green, and Joe Mead graciously assisted in the preparation for the oral argument.  

“This was, no doubt, a culmination of a very long process,” said Professor Kalir. “This is one of the most complex cases we had in the Clinic, and I’m truly happy that the students had such a great opportunity to be immersed in it. More personally, it was a true honor for me to finally argue before the Chief Judge, who is truly a brilliant jurist, as well as before (former Michigan Law Professor) Judge Larson and (former Ohio Solicitor General) Judge Murphy. What an amazing panel.”

The opinion in the case will be rendered in the coming months. 

Professor Milena Sterio participated as a panelist at a conference at Rutgers Law School, on the topic of “Enforcement of International Criminal Law,” on May 14-15. 

Professor Sterio also moderated a webinar on the topic of “Dusting Off the Law Books on Gender Persecution: Why a Policy on the Crime against Humanity of Gender Persecution” on May 26. The event recording is available here.

Professor Sterio contributed a blog post, co-authored with Professor Yvonne Dutton, on the topic of “The ICC’s 2022 Gender Persecution Policy in Context: An Important Next Step Forward” to Just Security, one of the most prominent international law blogs.

Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson attended the Association for Law, Property, and Society annual meeting in Southampton, England.  She participated on a panel entitled New Conceptions of Planning in a Climate Changing World.  Her presentation focused on her work on legislative preemption of local decision-making for oil and gas energy development projects as compared to the legislative grant of local decision-making authority for wind and solar energy development decisions. 

Robertson also participated in a field trip to the New Forest National Park, which was declared a national forest by William the Conqueror in 1079.  At that time, local residents retained rights of common, allowing them to use the land to graze and pasture their livestock (and dig clay, cut wood, etc.)  These rights are attached to the adjacent land and are still exercised by New Forest Commoners, some of them 13th-generation commoners. The property professors saw the commons, along with ponies, donkeys, and cattle, and met with a 13th-generation commoner and a member of the Verderers Court, which retains jurisdiction over the New Forest.

Robertson is the Steven W. Percy Professor of Law and Professor of Environmental Studies.

At the invitation of a group of faculty members from the University of Michigan’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson participated in the submission of a “concept paper” response to a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) funding opportunity announcement.  If the concept paper submission is selected by the DOE, the group will be invited to submit a full grant application and Robertson will be a Co-PI on the project.  The project is to build a regional Center of Excellence in Offshore Wind for the Great Lakes.  In addition to Professor Robertson, the group includes faculty members from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. 

Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson edited all property law-related articles in the May/June 2023 (Vol. 37, No. 3)  issue of the American Bar Association’s Probate and Property Magazine, on which she has served as Associate Editor for property since 2021.  Property and Probate is a publication of the ABA’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section.