On October 4th, the Taiwan Taichung District Prosecutors Office invited Professor Steven Chien for a special visit. He first met with Chief Prosecutor Chang Jie-Qin, where they exchanged views on the practical application of the Citizen Judges Act, prosecutorial ethics, and comparative legal systems between the United States and Taiwan.

Following the meeting, Professor Chien participated in a seminar titled “Prosecutorial Work under the Citizen Judges Act.” During this session, he shared his extensive observations of U.S. judicial practices and provided insights on various topics, including prosecutor training in the U.S., prosecutors’ courtroom performance in jury trials, and sentencing investigations.

He also offered comparative perspectives on issues such as victim impact statements, eliminating bias, and enhancing cross-examination techniques within Taiwan’s legal system. Accompanied by prosecutors of the “Citizen Judges Group,” Professor Chien visited the Taichung District Court to observe a Citizen Judge case, where he gained firsthand experience of the intense adversarial exchanges between

Capitol Forum reporter Ethan Ehrenhaft interviewed Professor Brian Ray for his recently published article discussing the risks posed by adtech companies in a recent report by the Federal Trade Commission and how they apply to other data brokers, including Zeta Global.

On Friday, Sept. 27, Professor Doron Kalir presented to an older audience as part of the Jewish Studies Program of Siegal Lifelong Learning at Case Western Reserve University. The lecture, entitled “What’s New(s) in Israel,” included a two-hour review of Israel’s latest expansion of the War to Lebanon, and the likely geo-political and humanitarian law implications of that incursion. 

Professor Milena Sterio presented at a conference at Case Western Reserve University School of Law on “The Geneva Conventions at 75: Need for Innovation” on September 27, 2024.  Professor Sterio presented on a panel devoted to the topic of “Is there a Need for a new Geneva Convention on Autonomous Weapon Systems?”  Professor Sterio’s remarks focused on the need to develop a multilateral treaty which would both define autonomous weapons systems and propose a regulatory regime over the use of such weapons.  

Professor Karin Mika will participate in an American Bar Association panel, The ABA Reexamines Faculty Employment Security and Status, and the Academy Needs to Pay Attention

The panel will discuss the history of class divisions in the Legal Academy and how that history often conflicts with both student demand and the needs of the bar.  The panel will further discuss the ABA’s potential changes to Rule 405, and how this will impact all levels of security of status, including Academic Support and Bar Preparation.

Professor Milena Sterio participated as a guest expert in the Lawyering Peace Hot Takes podcast in an episode that focused on “The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (2011): Justice on Hold.” The episode is available for streaming here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lawyering-peace-hot-takes/id1755218391?i=1000670435677

In this episode, Professor Paul Williams (American University Washington College of Law) and Professor Sterio distill and discuss the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, a peace agreement signed between the then government of Sudan and various Darfur-based rebel groups. 

Professor Milena Sterio presented on September 26 at a Workshop on Teaching International Humanitarian Law, which was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and which took place at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.  Professor Sterio presented on the topic of incorporating international humanitarian law into her international law courses.  

Professor Karin Mike was appointed to peer editor for the Legal Communication and Rhetoric Journal (JALWD).

She also was appointed to LWI Institutional Memory Project – an effort to ensure the history of the discipline of Legal Writing is made available online.

Professor Mika presented at two events: (1) the Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, held in Indianapolis, Indiana from July 17th-20th. Her topic was, “Adapting Legal Writing Education for the Online Environment: Challenges, Innovations, and Lessons, The presentation discussed how Legal Writing can be taught online, the potential international outreach of online JD programs, and how American law schools with online JD programs must be attuned to the needs (including shifting time zones and even politics) of any students that may be entering an online program.

And (2) the Western Regional Legal Writing Conference, held in Seattle, Washington from Sept. 13th-24th. My topic was, “From Peripheral to Pivotal: The Role of Legal Writing in the Modern Law School Misson.” The presentation discussed how the importance of Legal Writing and skills teaching has changed during the past four decades and discussed how Legal Writing necessarily takes a central role in developing material for online JD programs.

Associate Dean Brian Ray and Adjunct Professor Spence Witten represented the CSU Law Center for Cybersecurity & Privacy Protection at the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s (GCP) annual Best of Tech Event. The Center is one of GCP’s Tech Network Leaders and participated in the inaugural Tech Network Showcase. The event also featured CSU Law Alumnus Steve Potash, President and CEO of Overdrive in the Tech Unicorn Conversation.

On September 17, the Clarke Program in East Asian Law and Culture at Cornell Law School invited Prof. Steven Chien to give a talk on Taiwan’s citizen judges. Prof. Chien discusses the role of Taiwanese prosecutors working within trial units, filling a gap in current literature by illuminating the dramatic changes in Taiwan’s criminal trials, specifically the fundamental reshaping of the prosecutor’s role and institutional culture. The talk explores the significant transformation within Taiwan’s criminal legal sphere with the implementation of the Citizen Judge Act in January 2023. Drawing on his ethnographic research, Prof. Chien introduces a new theoretical framework that examines the “silent influence” of American criminal justice on Taiwan’s legal profession, demonstrating how foreign law can shape legal practices in nuanced ways. Prof. Valerie Hans (Charles F. Rechlin Professor of Law) served as the discussant. Prof. Yun-chien Chang (Jack G. Clarke Professor of Law) moderated.

Event Link:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/vW5PWRyfXSweHCjz/