Leon M. and Gloria Plevin Professor Browne Lewis has accepted an offer to publish her article entitled “A Deliberate Departure: Making Physician-Assisted Suicide Comfortable For Vulnerable Patients” in the Arkansas Law Review. The article is scheduled to be published in the Winter of 2016. In the article, Professor Lewis discusses the plight of terminally ill patients who may be vulnerable because of their age, disability, race or socio-economic status. She examines the safeguards that must be put in place to allow those patients the opportunity to die with dignity. The article is a result of the research Professor Lewis conducted in London, England and Glasglow, Scotland.

Leon M. and Gloria Plevin Professor Browne Lewis‘ article entitled “You Belong To Me: Unscrambling the Legal Ramifications of Recognizing A Property Right in Frozen Human Eggs” has been reprinted in Volume 16 of the Minnesota Family Law Journal. The Journal is a bimonthly magazine published by Lexis-Nexis Matthew Bender. Professor Lewis‘ article was originally published in the Tennessee Law Review. The article discusses the potential property rights a woman may have in her frozen eggs. It also examines the ethical concerns that arise when human eggs are treated like personal property.

Professor and Associate Dean Milena Sterio presented at the Case Western Reserve University Law School Cox Center Symposium on September 16, entitled “The Art of International Law.”  Professor Sterio presented on a panel entitled “International Criminal Responsibility,” which focused on a discussion of international criminal responsibility for the war crime of destruction of cultural and religious property.  A webcase of the conference, including Professor Sterio’s panel, is available here.

In addition, Professor Sterio participated in the taping of a new episode of the radio show entitled “Talking Foreign Policy” at WCPN/90.3.  Professor Sterio is a regular participant on this show, and this particular episode focused on a discussion of similar issues (international criminal responsibility for the destruction of cultural and religious property, restitution in cases of art theft, etc.).  This episode will be broadcast on WCPN/90.3 on Friday, October 7th, at 1:00 p.m.

Chris Sagers, the James A. Thomas Distinguished Professor of Law, wrote today at the invitation of the Stigler Center at the University of Chicago, in reply to remarks from Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen. Earlier this year, Ohlhausen had taken Sagers to task for certain criticisms he’d made in an article for New York Times DealBook.

Sagers’ original NYT editorial is available here.

Commissioner Ohlhausen’s reaction is available here.  Sagers’ reply is available here.

Leon M. and Gloria Plevin Professor of Law Browne Lewis presented at the Second Wills, Trust and Estates Meets Gender, Race, and Class Conference.  Professor Lewis’ presentation was entitled Beyond Sex: The Inheritance Rights of Children Conceived Using Assisted Reproductive Technology.  The intestacy system was created when families were primarily formed by procreation in a marriage. Therefore, marital children have often been give preferential treatment when it comes to inheriting under the intestacy system.  As a consequence of the availability and use of assisted reproductive technology, families are being created in a variety of ways.  For example, some mothers have been permitted to have sperm extracted from the bodies of their dead sons, so they can conceive their own grandchildren. In addition, some gay men have purchased donor eggs and hired surrogates in order to achieve fatherhood.  The intestacy succession laws have not kept up with the technology.  Consequently, children conceived using assisted reproductive technology may not be afforded the opportunity to inherit under the intestacy system.   As a result, those children may be disadvantaged because of the manner in which they were conceived. State intestacy laws need to be modified to reflect the fact that there is no longer a default “traditional” family. Children are given preferential treatment under the intestacy system because legislators assume that parents want their property to go to their children after they die.  That assumption should not be negated by the fact that a child is not conceived through sexual intercourse.  Persons using assisted reproductive technology are often desperate to have children. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that those persons would want their children to inherit if they die intestate.

Professor and Associate Dean Milena Sterio will publish her article, “The Karadzic Genocide Conviction: Inferences, Intent, and the Necessity to Redefine Genocide,” in the Emory Journal of International Law.  Professor Sterio’s article analyzes the recent Yugoslavia Tribunal’s conviction of the former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, on genocide charges, and argues in favor of a broader interpretation of the definition of genocide under the Genocide Convention.  Professor Sterio’s article has been accepted, after a blind peer-reviewed paper competition process, for the American Society of International Law Research Forum, which will take place in Seattle on November 10-12 and where Professor Sterio will present this article.

Professor Sterio will also publish an article entitled “‘Frozen Conflicts’ and Secession: The Nagorno-Karabakh Region” in the German Yearbook of International Law (GYIL).  The GYIL is edited by the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law at the University of Kiel, the oldest university institute for public international law, founded in 1914. Professor Sterio’s article will appear in Volume 59 (2016).

Students enrolled in the Civil Litigation Clinic during spring 2016 participated in several important cases and were successful in various litigation efforts, including in the areas of unemployment compensation, consumer law/debt collection, cause lawyering, immigration appeals and alternative dispute resolution.  Student were supervised by professors Ken Kowalski, Doron Kalir, and Joseph Mead.  For a more detailed account, please visit the following link.

Leon M. and Gloria Plevin Professor of Law Browne Lewis published, The Law of Wills, her second electronic book with eLangdell Press.  The book is meant to be used in conjunction with Professor Lewis’ previous electronic book, The Law of Trusts.  The purpose of the casebook is to train law students to think and act like estate planning attorneys. The book’s focus is problem-solving and legal application; the book includes numerous problems, so law students can learn to apply the law they learn from reading the cases. It also contains collaborative learning exercises to encourage students to engage in group problem-solving. The book is divided into three parts to reflect the main types of issues that students will encounter if they practice estate planning law. The book’s organization mirrors the manner in which estate planning law is practiced in the real world. The book is available to law students at no cost and can be downloaded here.