United States and Canadian water law and policy, as well as a discussion over whether Lake Erie is impaired, will be the focus of the 17th annual Great Lakes Water Conference this week at The University of Toledo College of Law.

The conference titled “The Trump and Trudeau Administrations on Water” will take place Friday, Nov. 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium.

The one-day conference is sponsored by the UT College of Law and its Legal Institute of the Great Lakes.

“Newly elected leaders in the U.S. and Canada have promised changes in direction,” said Ken Kilbert, UT professor of law and director of the Legal Institute of the Great Lakes. “What that means for water law, policy and resources on both sides of the border will be explored by two expert panels.”

The keynote speaker will be Patricia Morris, director of the Great Lakes Section of the International Joint Commission, at 8:45 a.m.

The first panel at 9:15 a.m. will focus on the administration of President Donald Trump and features speakers from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wayne State University Law School.

The second panel at 11 a.m. will look at the administration of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and features speakers from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Forum for Leadership on Water, and the University of Calgary Law School.

A third panel at 1:30 p.m. will explore the controversy over whether Lake Erie should be designated “impaired” under the federal Clean Water Act and highlight steps Ohio and Michigan are taking to reduce phosphorus loading and algae in the lake. The panel includes speakers from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and the UT College of Law.

The one-day conference is free to the public. Attorneys can earn 4.5 hours of Ohio Continuing Legal Education for $75.

For more information, go to utoledo.edu/law/academics/ligl/conferences.html.

A nationally known expert on immigration law is presenting a lecture at The University of Toledo next week titled “Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases in the Wake of the Trump Administration.”

Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, the Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar and Clinical Professor of Law at the Pennsylvania State University School of Law, will present the annual Cannon Lecture at noon on Monday, Sept. 11 in the UT Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium.

“This is a timely topic from a recognized national expert,” Geoffrey Rapp, associate dean for academic affairs in the UT College of Law, said.  “With a focus on the role of individual decision makers in immigration enforcement, it’s a perfect fit for this year’s Cannon Lecture.”

This free, public lecture is part of the Cannon Lecture Series, which was established in 1980 to honor former Toledo attorney Joseph A. Cannon.  The series hosts nationally known individuals who explore both the humanistic dimensions and limitations of the U.S. legal system.  Food and beverages will be provided.

Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia

Wadhia published her New York University Press book, “Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases,” in 2015. Her book traces the role of prosecutorial discretion from the case of the Beatles front man John Lennon to the challenges of enforcing immigration policy in the post 9/11 era and during the Obama administration.

Her work also has been published in leading journals, including Emory Law Journal, Texas Law Review, and Columbia Journal of Race and Law. Additionally, her work has been cited by federal courts, and she has appeared in popular media, including MSNBC, C-SPAN, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Prior to entering teaching, Wadhia served as deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, an advocacy organization that provided advice to government officials and the public on topics including immigration reform and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

At the Pennsylvania State University School of Law, Wadhia teaches asylum and refugee law as well as immigration law. She also serves as the founder and director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, working with law students in the clinical immigration law setting.

She received a bachelor of arts degree from Indiana University and her law degree from Georgetown University.

The University of Toledo’s third post-election forum since President Donald Trump was elected focuses on the topic “Our Bodies, Ourselves in the Time of Trump” and implications of repealing the Affordable Care Act.

The free, public event to discuss health care, reproductive rights and LGBTQA+ issues is 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 at the Kent Branch Library, 3101 Collingwood Blvd.

“Based on actions thus far and the 2016 presidential campaign, we know the Trump Administration will be approaching all three of these areas of policy with a different perspective from the previous administration,” said Dr. Ally Day, assistant professor in the disability studies program at UT. “Our forum is designed to address changes and questions community members may have in relation to larger policy and their own health-care options.”

Featured speakers include:

• Karen Hoblet, UT associate professor of nursing
• Robert Salem, UT clinical professor of law and chair of the Equality Toledo Board of Directors
• Anita Rios, Ohio NOW
• Hillary Gyuras, community education manager for Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio
• Sarah Inskeep, regional field manager for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
• Katie Hunt Thomas, disability rights attorney for The Ability Center of Greater Toledo

The event is sponsored by the UT College of Law and the School for Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Arts and Letters.

The University of Toledo’s second post-election forum since President Donald Trump became the country’s 45^th president features a panel of scholars focusing on the topic of “A Law and Order Presidency? Issues in Policing and Criminal Justice.”

The free, public event is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31 at the West Toledo Branch Library, 1320 West Sylvania Ave.

“We invite all concerned members of our community to join us for a public discussion about critical issues and questions pertaining to law enforcement, the terms on which we adjudicate crime and punishment, how we think about rights, and how we might aspire to justice,” Dr. Rene Heberle, professor of political science, said.

Heberle will discuss “Undoing Mass Incarceration in the Trump Era: What Is to Be Done?”

Additional UT speakers and topics include:

• Jelani Jefferson Exum, professor of law, “What May Change? The Influence of the Attorney General on Criminal Justice Protections and Priorities”

• Liat Ben-Moshe, assistant professor of disability studies, “Not in Our Name: Disability, Mental Health and Criminal Justice Reform”

• Gregory Gilchrist, associate professor of law, “Federal Influences on Local Policing”

“Criminal justice and policing reforms have been at the forefront of political and policy activity at the federal level, in statehouses, in communities and in the streets for the last several years,” Heberle said. “Faculty from various disciplines will offer perspectives on the kind of influence the federal government has had on reform efforts over the past several years. More importantly, we will discuss prospects for continuing reform given the fundamental shifts in ideological perspectives and priorities signaled by the new administration taking shape under President Donald Trump.”

The event is sponsored by the UT College of Law and the School for Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Arts and Letters.

More than three weeks after Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, a panel of scholars at The University of Toledo will participate in a public forum to analyze the election cycle, its results and what happens next.

The event, which is open to the public and sponsored by the UT College of Law and the School for Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Arts and Letters, is 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1 in the Law Center Auditorium.

“We want to bring our community together to engage in constructive discussion and debate about the changes underway with Trump’s victory,” Dr. Renee Heberle, political science professor, said. “Topics will include appointments to the White House advisory staff and cabinet, historical comparisons to past presidential elections, constitutional issues and feminist perspectives on the campaign and outcome.”

Panelists include Dr. Jeff Broxmeyer, assistant professor of political science; Dr. Jetsabe Caceres, assistant professor of political science and director of the Global Studies Program; Dr. Sharon Barnes, associate professor of women’s and gender studies; Benjamin Davis, professor of law; and Rebecca Zietlow, the Charles W. Fornoff Professor of Law and Values.

After presentations from panelists, the audience will be invited to ask questions and offer input.

After voters elected Donald Trump the nation’s 45^th president, University of Toledo experts in constitutional law and international politics are available to discuss the impact of the Republican’s victory on the U.S. Supreme Court, executive orders and foreign relations.

Trump will be in a position to fill the current vacancy on the Supreme Court to replace Justice Antonin Scalia and up to three more over the course of his presidency, according to Lee Strang, the John W. Stoepler Professor of Law and Values at the UT College of Law.

“Donald Trump has the once-in-a-century opportunity to remake the Supreme Court,” Strang said. “During the campaign, Trump identified his potential nominees, which was a key move to maintain his electoral coalition. Now, up to four of them will solidify a conservative majority to interpret the Constitution according to its original meaning.”

Rebecca Zietlow, the Charles W. Fornoff Professor of Law and Values in the UT College of Law, is available to discuss “what Trump can do unilaterally, especially court appointments and executive orders.”

Joel Voss, assistant professor of political science, is available to discuss international politics.

“Trump’s presidential win creates unease internationally,” Voss said. “His win creates a whole list of possibilities, but it’s hard to guess what will happen.”

Dr. John M. Finnis, professor emeritus at the University of Oxford and Biolchini Family Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame, will deliver this fall’s Stranahan Lecture titled “A Conversation With Professor John Finnis.”

The conversation will take place noon Tuesday, Sept. 20, in The University of Toledo Law Center McQuade Auditorium.

Law Professor John Finnis. Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame

“John Finnis is the greatest living natural law theorist in the world. He is widely considered the person most responsible for reviving interest in natural law with his path-breaking book, Natural Law and Natural Rights (1980),” said Lee J. Strang, the John W. Stoepler Professor of Law and Values at the UT College of Law.

During the conversation, Finnis will explain natural law and some of its implications.  The lecture format will encourage audience members to ask questions and engage with the professor.

“Finnis’ lecture is sure to spark thought and conversation on this important topic,” Strang said.

A prolific scholar, Finnis has authored and edited numerous books and written dozens of articles and essays. Recently, he was honored when Oxford University Press published his collected works in a five-volume series. Finnis’ publications have focused on law, legal theory, moral and political philosophy, theology and late Elizabethan-era history.

Finnis earned a bachelor of laws from Adelaide University in Australia and doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Until 2010, he held positions of lecturer, reader and chaired professor in law at Oxford. He also has held positions at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Malawi in Africa, and Boston College Law School. He is admitted to the English Bar, known as Gray’s Inn.

The free, public lecture is a part of the Stranahan National Issues Forum and is sponsored by the UT College of Law and its chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. Food and drink will be provided.

To help professionals stay current and comply with evolving laws and regulations, The University of Toledo College of Law is offering a new graduate certificate program in compliance.

The part-time program, which can be completed in about 10 months, is offered through online and in-person classes held in the evenings to accommodate working adults.

“A foundation in compliance is applicable to many heavily-regulated career fields, including health care, education, and human resources,” said D. Benjamin Barros, dean of the College of Law. “Coursework in areas such as policy and procedure creation; ethics; privacy and data security; reporting; and investigations will allow graduates of the certificate program to be more competitive in the job market and better prepared to lead compliance programs.”

Interested students have three graduate certificate options: a specialized certificate in health care compliance, a specialized certificate in higher education compliance, and a general certificate in compliance that is applicable to a variety of fields and industries.

The health care compliance certificate is 18 credits and participants will learn the rules and regulations associated with the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and HIPPA.

The 17-credit certificate in higher education compliance will provide a foundation for the regulations associated with the NCAA for athletics, Clery Act and Title IX for safety, and FERPA for student privacy.

The general-focus certificate is a 16-credit program that includes a faculty-supervised research project focused on the student’s unique compliance interests.

Each certificate program also can be incorporated into the College of Law’s master of studies in law (MLW) degree program and the juris doctor (JD) program.

The graduate certificates were recently approved by the American Bar Association and will be offered beginning this fall semester.

Media Coverage
The Blade (April 27, 2016)

John O. McGinnis, the George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, will present “Why Citizens United and Other Roberts Court Campaign Finance Decisions Are Right” at noon Monday, April 4 in the Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium.

The free, public lecture is a part of the Stranahan National Issues Forum and is sponsored by the UT College of Law and its chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies.

No issue has generated more unyielding divisions on the Roberts Supreme Court and in American society than the court’s decisions about political campaign regulation, most famously in Citizens United v. FEC (2010). The court’s majority believes that campaign finance regulations should be analyzed under general free speech principles established in other contexts. The dissents seek to decide campaign finance regulation issues by considerations unique to campaign finance regulation.

McGinnis will show that the majority’s approach is correct, because the First Amendment reflects a distrust of government and thus requires judicial constraint, which adherence to general First Amendment principles provides.

“Campaign finance regulation is perennially front-page news,” said Lee J. Strang, the John W. Stoepler Professor of Law and Values at the UT College of Law. “Professor McGinnis will argue that, contrary to frequent claims, the Roberts Court is neutrally following the First Amendment in its campaign regulation cases, including in Citizens United. McGinnis’ lecture is sure to spark thought and conversation on this important topic.”

McGinnis is the author of more than 70 law review articles and dozens of essays. Most recently, he wrote Accelerating Democracy: Transforming Government Through Technology (Princeton 2013) and co-authored with M. Rappaport Originalism and the Good Constitution (Harvard 2013). He is a past winner of the Paul Bator Award given by the Federalist Society to an outstanding academic under 40.

Prior to teaching, McGinnis was deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and also holds a master of arts degree in philosophy and theology from Balliol College, Oxford.

The Stranahan National Issues Forum is a joint program of the UT College of Law and its chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. It is made possible by an endowment from the Stranahan Foundation. The forum’s purpose is to address issues of national importance through the lens of the American legal system, and McGinnis joins a long list of high-profile speakers who have delivered the Stranahan Lecture at the UT College of Law.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger, a 1977 alumna of The University of Toledo College of Law, will discuss the Ohio Constitution, the Modernization Commission, and possible changes to the constitution Thursday, March 17, at noon in the McQuade Law Auditorium in the Law Center on UT’s Main Campus

The free, public program is called “The Ohio Constitution and the Work of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission.”

The Ohio Constitution is currently under review. The Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission was established and tasked by the Ohio General Assembly with studying the constitution and recommending amendments. The commission began its work in 2013 and will continue until 2018.

The UT College of Law and the Toledo Bar Association will welcome some of the state’s leading experts on the subject to the University for the two-hour program.

In addition to Lanzinger, participants will include Marc Wagoner, a member of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission and a partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP; Steven Hollon, executive director of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission; and Steven Steinglass, senior policy adviser for the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission.

“The commission is performing an incredible service for the people of Ohio as well as for the legal profession, and yet many people remain unaware of this important work,” said Greg Gilchrist, UT associate professor of law and an event organizer.

For more information, go to utole.do/ohioconstitution.