Life as Dean (2008-24)

On Oct. 15, UC Davis School of Law's Racial Justice Speaker Series continued with Professor Benjamin Weber's discussion of his new book American Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration, which links the U.S. prison system with imperialism.

Joining Weber were Jalil Muntaqim, a longtime activist and former member of the Black Panther Party, and the talented visual artist Ayo Scott. The profound dialogue was moderated by activist Pam Fadem, a member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners.

The Native American Law Students Association continued its Culture Week. Their last event featured a panel of Indian Law attorneys. Michelle Lee '98 spoke about her career in Indian Law.

The Native American Law Students Association's Culture Week continued with a tribal drum circle in the King Hall courtyard. It was a memorable community event. 

The Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) continued its Culture Week with a discussion of the Tribal Justice Project. An expert in federal Indian law, Professor Katherine Florey kicked off the event.

Yesterday was a busy Monday at UC Davis School of Law. During lunch hour, the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) kicked off its Culture Week with Professor Matthew Fletcher of the University of Michigan Law School, who talked about Federal Indian law.

Last weekend, I had a surprise as I visited with friends at a Cal football game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Behind me were two faithful UC Davis Law alums, Melissa Jones '99 and Greg Fisher '98, and their daughters. One of them, Elise, is a first-year at Cal and lives in the very same dorm complex that I lived in years ago.

Today, we humbly recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and the start of the Native American Law Students Association’s Culture Week. We mark this day by engaging with UC Davis Law students to learn about what this day signifies to them.

Watch our video featuring Jo-Joe Lee ’25, Nizhoni McDarment ’26 and Grace Younglund ’26, and follow @UCDNALSA on Instagram and see what events they have planned for Culture Week at the law school. Learn more about these law students:

The horrific events in the Middle East are reverberating in our law school community. Members of the community have family and friends directly affected by the conflict. Others are watching events unfold and feeling worried for the Middle East and our world at large.

[Cross-post from the Aoki Center on Critical Race and Nation Studies] 

Human history is plagued with instances of war and genocidal action against groups of people. When examining the lessons born out of this history, we realize how quickly and quietly acts of war can descend into massacres and why it is imperative we do not turn a blind eye if we are to prevent it from happening again.

The 1915 Armenian Genocide

On Thursday I had the opportunity to welcome faculty, students, labor leaders, and community members to the celebration of the new UC Davis Labor Center.

On Tuesday Professor Emeritus Peter Irons of UC San Diego spoke on reform of the U.S. Supreme Court in a lecture sponsored by the Aoki Center on Critical Race and Nation Studies. Professor Jack Chin invited Professor Irons, who is an expert on constitutional law and law and society.

The UC Davis School of Law continued its Faculty Intellectual Enrichment Speaker Series this week. Professor Rabia Belt of Stanford talked about her book project on the history of race, disability, and suffrage in the United States. It is one of many this semester, a full list of speakers detailed above.

I was pleased to find out Professor Emerita Margaret Johns has been named an Associate Reporter on The American Law Institute’s Restatement of the Law, Constitutional Torts. Professor Johns is also a UC Davis Law Class of '76 alumna. I am proud she will be reporting on this ALI project beginning in 2024.

I am grateful to a 3L student for contacting me about our support of communities impacted by the most recent events at Nagorno-Karabakh. Sadly, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has been a long-standing one, causing loss of life and significant decrease in humanitarian aid to those within the region. With the latest escalation within the last week, aid convoys are trying to get to the region and assist more than 120,000 Armenian and other refugees who are fleeing the area.

Last week, we had a warm and wonderful lunch in Oakland with UC Davis School of Law alumni. Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations Karen Charney and Associate Director of Development Taylor Theg joined me for a trip down to the Bay Area.

We had a great group in attendance, which included Robert Kidd '77, Joan Story '77, Judge Gordon Baranco '72, Craig Judson '84, Darryl Stallworth '92, Ayana Curry '00, Maggie Trinh '11, Julien Capers '10, Leila Tabrizi '22, and many others. Together, we heard the latest updates about King Hall.