News

Saul Garcia '94, Richard Miadich '02 Appointed as Superior Court Judges

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Saul Garcia ’94 and Richard Miadich ’02 as Superior Court judges. Garcia and Miadich will serve in Stanislaus and Sacramento counties, respectively.

Garcia is a veteran deputy public defender for San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties and former directing attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.

Miadich has served as chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission since 2019.

King Hall Makes Strong Commitment to Public Service Summer Funding

UC Davis School of Law is now accepting summer funding applications for students who have secured summer positions in the public service sector.

Most government and non-profit summer positions are unpaid. Every year, approximately 100 UC Davis law students receive funding to support this important work. The summer funding for first and second-year law students gives them the opportunity to consider public interest. It helps “diversify who can take those positions,” said Associate Director for Career Services Sofia Parino.

Faculty Feature: Professor Menesh Patel

Professor of Law Menesh Patel has taught at King Hall since 2018, with a primary focus on antitrust, securities regulation, and corporate law. Previously, he was a Post-Doctoral Research Scholar in the Program in the Law & Economics of Capital Markets at Columbia Law School and Columbia Business School. Professor Patel also previously practiced law, most recently at Sidley Austin LLP, and was a law and economics fellow at Stanford Law School. He earned his J.D. at Stanford, his Ph.D.

Professor Imwinkelried Joins Supreme Court Amicus Brief on Evidence Law

Federal Rule of Evidence 704(b) limits the extent to which experts in criminal cases may testify whether the accused did or did not have the state of mind required for the charged offense or a defense. Congress enacted the limitations as a backlash against the acquittal of John Hinckley in his prosecution for the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. Since the passage of the legislation, lower courts have struggled with the interpretation of the provision;  and until 2023 the Supreme Court had never accepted a case raising the issue.

Visiting Professor Mira Sundara Rajan Delivers Keynote at Seoul Copyright Forum

UC Davis Law Visiting Professor Mira Sundara Rajan delivered the keynote address at the Seoul Copyright Forum in October. Her talk explored the topic of generative AI and copyright.

In addition to surveying the current state of the art in different countries and making recommendations on copyright and AI, the talk emphasized the importance of moral rights as a neglected policy instrument for dealing effectively with AI.